There seems to be a tower leaning on the right side... not sure what that is about?

Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost 1,000 years of architectural history.

Although it looks nice, I would have never posted this… just not my style. However, I watched a documentary about this hovercraft (Princess Margaret) and its sister ship call the Princess Ann. These hovercrafts were the fastest way across the English Channel without boarding an airplane. It took only 40 minutes to cross from Dover, England to Calais, France. Unfortunately, it was extremely expensive to operate. At the time of retirement (around 2005?) the operating costs were $16 million per vessel per year. However, these two hovercrafts had a trick up their sleeve, they were able to sell duty-free alcohol. They were able to sell seats for $1 each and profit over their operating costs by selling duty free alcohol. People would ride this hovercraft for the sole purpose of purchasing large amounts of alcohol… after all they were probably saving around 35%. Unfortunately, when the European Union was formed, the duty-free tax was taken away which spelled the demise of these two wonderful aircraft. Yes, I say aircraft! These hovercrafts are under the jurisdiction of aircraft and not water vessels/craft. A trip across the channel was considered a flight. Personally, I thought the cabin inside remind me of an airplane. I very much enjoyed this flight and was personally disappointed because it ended too soon.

Kind of a classic look down the grand canal.

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become a world-famous symbol of London.

Cannot seem to go to Paris without stopping by the Moulin Rouge for a couple of pictures. This is a long exposure; I like the effect it creates on the windmill (moulin.) A few car passed by so it erased the light streaks it created. I darkened out a long line people waiting to get into the show because it looked a little ‘’muddy’’ because of cars passing by.

Founded in 1889 the Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. Today, the Moulin Rouge is a tourist attraction, offering musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. The club's decor still contains much of the romance of fin de siècle France.

Nice windmill located on the riverbank. Off to the right ate two men fishing but I cropped that out. I tried to get closer to the goat but it was a little shy.

Historically, windmills in Holland served many purposes. The most important probably was pumping water out of the lowlands and back into the rivers beyond the dikes so that the land could be farmed. In the fourteenth century, hollow-post mills were used to drive scoop wheels to drain the wetlands. The Molen de Roos in Delft began its life as a hollow-post type and was later rebuilt with a higher stone construction in the eighteenth century. Today it has been restored and is open for viewing.

This is the type of screw this windmill uses to pump water. This design was originally invented by Archimedes.

Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Considered to be the greatest mathematician of antiquity, and one of the greatest scientists of all time.

There are over 1000 windmills in Holland. Some are still being used for drainage, such as one or two of the nineteen in Kinderdijk. The Molen de Otter, still in operation in Amsterdam, is also used for drainage.

Sankt Goarshausen is a village located in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Nassau on the eastern shore of the Rhine, in the section known as the Rhine Gorge. Sankt Goarshausen is the seat of the Loreley collective municipality. The town's economy is based on wine making and tourism.

Sankt Goarshausen is a town located in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Nassau on the eastern shore of the Rhine, in the section known as the Rhine Gorge. Sankt Goarshausen is the seat of the Loreley collective municipality. The town's economy is based on wine making and tourism.

In 1885, St. Goarshausen had almost 1,456 inhabitants. Close to the town in the hillside just above it, lie the ruins of 14th century Castle Katz, ruined since 1806.

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century historicist palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honour of Richard Wagner.

The banks of the Grand Canal are lined with more than 170 buildings, most of which date from the 13th to the 18th century, and demonstrate the welfare and art created by the Republic of Venice. The noble Venetian families faced huge expenses to show off their richness in suitable palazzos; this contest reveals the citizens’ pride and the deep bond with the lagoon.

Because most of the city's traffic goes along the Canal rather than across it, only one bridge crossed the canal until the 19th century, the Rialto Bridge. Which is where this photo was taken from.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Paul commonly known as Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, is one of Rome's four ancient, papal, major basilicas, along with the basilicas of Saint John in the Lateran, Saint Peter's, and Saint Mary Major.

The basilica is within Italian territory and not the territory of the Vatican City State, but the Holy See owns the Basilica, and Italy is legally obligated to recognize its full ownership and to concede to it "the immunity granted by International Law to the headquarters of the diplomatic agents of foreign States".

Vernaccia-based wine from San Gimignano has a long history, and since the Renaissance period has been considered one of Italy’s oldest and most noble wines. Its fame has no doubt been strongly connected to its region of origin, San Gimignano – an ancient Tuscan town famed for its medieval towers.

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with outstanding examples of secular buildings as well as churches.

The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. It is noted for the shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers, tanners, and farmers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers.

The Moselle Valley is a region in north-eastern France, south-western Germany, and eastern Luxembourg, centered on the river valley formed by the Moselle. The Moselle runs through, and along the borders of, the three countries, and drains a fourth, Belgium.

This is the village of Schiltach located in German Black Forest (Schwarzwald) region. While the town has a picturesque medieval core, it is also a modern industrial city.

The Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum spirals around the Vogtsbauernhof, a self-contained early-17th-century farmstead. Farmhouses shifted from their original locations have been painstakingly reconstructed here, using techniques such as thatching and paneling, to create this authentic farming hamlet and preserve age-old Black Forest traditions.

The Matterhorn is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the Pennine Alps, whose summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe.

Murano's reputation as a center for glassmaking was born when the Venetian Republic, fearing fire and the destruction of the city's mostly wooden buildings, ordered glassmakers to move their furnaces to Murano in 1291. Murano glass is still associated with Venetian glass.

The gondola originated in Venice, Italy, that magical city situated on a series of six islands at the edge of the Adriatic Sea. The “streets” of Venice are waterways, making boats the official transportation choice.

Of all the differing watercrafts in Venice, the gondola is the most well-known. It is an ancient rowboat, evolving over the last 1,000 years to become the sleek, graceful shape you see today. Its unique, asymmetrical design allows just one oarsman to navigate the narrow Venetian waterways using a single oar.

A couple beautiful swans paddling up the Mosel River. Across the River lies a small village called Zell and the chapel you see is called Saint Peter’s and Saint Paul’s Catholic Church which was built between 1786-1792.

Zell was founded by the Romans sometime later than AD 70. The outlying centre of Kaimt had its first documentary mention in 732 or 733. In 1222, Zell was granted town rights. Beginning in 1332, it was an Electoral-Trier town and until 1794 the seat of an Electoral-Trier Oberamt. With the occupation of the Rhine’s left bank by French Revolutionary troops in 1794, the town became French. In 1814 Zell was assigned to the Kingdom of Prussia at the Congress of Vienna. Fires in 1848 and 1857 destroyed a great deal of the Old Town. Since 1946, the town has been part of the then newly founded state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Taking one of Switzerland's famous Cog trains from Grindelwald to Wengen. This photo does not do the scenery justice, but it was the best I could do at that moment. You can see another cog train below on the right. If my memory serves me correctly that is the train that goes to Jungfraujoch.

The water gate is used when either they shut down the mill or the tide gets too high.

The city is on the ridge of a hill with its main axis being north/south. It is encircled by three walls and has at its highest point, to the west, the ruins of a fortress dismantled in the 16th century. There are eight entrances into the city, set into the second wall, which dates from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Until the early 1900s Beilstein was only accessible by water…today, a road goes into town, but Beilstein maintains its old-world character. The Castle up on the hill was destroyed (like so many of the areas castles) by the French in the 1680s. The ruins still stand, and it is a nice hike up the hill for a panoramic view.

Beilstein is located along the Mosel river in the heart of German wine country.

The Kinbrücke (bridge) over the Mattervispa along with its wayside shrine is listed as a Swiss heritage site of national significance. The village of Stalden and the Neubrück area are both part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become a world-famous symbol of London. As a result, it is sometimes confused with London Bridge, about one half mile upstream.

A beautiful boat crossing under Tower Bridge London. I remember the first time as a teenager we were sailing on my dad’s boat an made a drawbridge rise. It was in San Pedro California and was as unphotogenic as a bridge could be. However, it was memorable as a kid to watch all the traffic stop just for our boat to go through. They have since raised that bridge so they don't have to stop traffic anymore.

Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby.

Being the home to the Kings of France between 1662 and 1789, the Palace of Versailles is one of the most important landmarks in French history. ... Versailles resisted until the French Revolution (1789 – 1799), being not only famous for its strategic place but also as a symbol of the absolute Monarchy system.

I was trying to get a good shot of the cottage across the canal. I was amazed how the canal looked like it was higher than the bottom floor of the cottage (and it is.) They don't call it Nederland for nothing! So here I was minding my own business when this tugboat decided to push this barge up the canal and in the way of my shot! Bummer!!

Heidelberger Schloss (Heidelberg Castle) is a landmark of Heidelberg. The earliest castle structure was built before 1214. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps.

The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is located 260 feet up the northern part of the Königstuhl hillside, and thereby dominates the view of the old downtown.

The Jungfrau (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps. Together with the Eiger and Mönch (on the right), the Jungfrau forms a massive wall of mountains overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.

Santa María della Salute (in the right background) is one of the most important religious buildings in Venice. Its striking dome is depicted in most of the city’s postcards.

Salute, as it is commonly known, was founded in 1631. The basilica was built to commemorate the end of a terrible outbreak of the plague that began in 1630, and killed a large portion of the Veneto population. It was dedicated to Our Lady of Health (Salute in Italian.)

The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. Construction started in 1887 and finished in 1889. It has been drawing people to Paris to see the sight ever since. The structure is 1,063 feet tall and for 41 years it was the tallest man-made structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world until New York City’s Chrysler Building took the throne in 1930.

I particularly like the lighting and the nice clouds.

Historically, windmills in Holland served many purposes. The most important probably was pumping water out of the lowlands and back into the rivers beyond the dikes so that the land could be farmed. In the fourteenth century, hollow-post mills were used to drive scoop wheels to drain the wetlands.

A couple beautiful swans paddling up the Mosel River. Across the River lies a small village called Zell and the chapel you see is called Saint Peter’s and Saint Paul’s Catholic Church which was built between 1786-1792.

Schönburg Castle was first mentioned in history between the years 911 and 1166. Until the 17th century the castle had a very changeable and martial history with many tribe and family fights.

Schönburg Castle remained destroyed by the French and left in ruins for 2 centuries until an American of German ancestry, Mr. Rhinelander, bought and restored the castle. Mr. Rhinelander invested two million Gold Marks into the restoration until 1914.

Since 1957 the Hüttl family lives at the castle on a long-term lease (emphyteusi) and established a hotel and restaurant, now already in the third generation.

The castle was constructed in about 1316/1317. Rheinstein Castle was important for its strategic location. By 1344, the castle was in decline. By the time of the Palatine War of Succession, the castle was very dilapidated. During the romantic period in the 19th century, Prince Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863) bought the castle and it was rebuilt.

Recent research has established that the castle was probably first mentioned in 1271. Like neighbouring Reichenstein Castle, it was managed by the lords of Hohenfels as bailiffs for Kornelimünster Abbey near Aachen.

What is certain is that the castle was besieged in 1282 by King Rudolph I. His troops overran and destroyed the castle and the king imposed a ban on rebuilding it, which he explicitly restated in 1290.

Aglais io, the European peacock, more commonly known simply as the peacock butterfly, is a colorful butterfly, found in Europe and temperate Asia as far east as Japan. It was formerly classified as the only member of the genus Inachis.

This is so typical of the beautiful architecture and colors of the “Black Forest” homes and buildings.

Taking one of Switzerland's famous Cog trains from Grindelwald to Wengen. I saw this cow as we were ascending up the east side of the Lauterbrunnen valley. If you notice, there is third rail that is “geared” because the assent is so steep the train would just slip on standard rails. There is another train that ascends the west side of the Lauterbrunnen valley that ends up by the summit of the famous Jungfraujoch mountain.

I took this gondola up for a bird’s eye view of the very picturesque village of Grindelwald. Tourism industry began in Grindelwald in the late 18th century as foreigners discovered the scenic town. Pictures of the vistas were widely reprinted, quickly making the village internationally famous.

In the high Alps well above the picturesque town of Grindelwald.

I was going to my hotel in what the locals call a bus (really a small ferry.) I was so excited I was snapping off pictures at everything that looked like a possibility. Did not have time for ''setting up'' since we were moving too fast. Just happened to get this one in!!

Another gondola ride as taken from the Rialto bridge. The bell tower in the background is part of the Church of St. Giovanni Crisostomo and was built in the late 16th century.

I was setting up to take a picture of this gondolier who just docked his gondola. I am a landscape photographer and do not usually shoot critters (that includes humans.) However, he noticed I was setting up for a shot in got back into his gondola because he thought that is what I wanted to shoot. I did not have the heart to tell him that I wanted to shoot his gondola without him, so I went ahead and took the shot. Guess what, it made a much nicer capture with the gondolier so that is what I posted.

I liked the semi-contrast in colors between the boat and the building. The building appears to be quite dilapidated if you notice the second story windows are broken and boarded in. I assumed they get in and out of their boat through the green shutters on the first floor.

Just wandering around Venice minding my own business and I run into this lovely little corner. Clearly someone had just repainted this boat and left it out for me to take pictures. Thank You!

Santa María della Salute (to the right) is one of the most important religious buildings in Venice.

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, created in marble between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo.

David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of civic government in Florence, in the Piazza della Signoria, where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504.

Because of the nature of the figure it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defence of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were fixated towards Rome.

San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with outstanding examples of secular buildings as well as churches.

I took this picture with a 35mm compact camera with slow film speed (1995.) I like the colors and lighting so much that I had to figure out a way to take this picture at night and I did not have a tripod so I held the camera against a light pole.

On the southern edge of Zermatt (village) looking up at the Matterhorn.

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