Anzio is quaint city located about 50 kilometers south of Rome. At one time it was an important Roman port… today, it's well known for its seaside harbor setting, it is a fishing port popular with tourists and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene. The city bears great historical significance as the site of a crucial Allied landing during World War II (they have a large display overlooking the land area). I actually had people as me if was an American and when I said yes... almost kissed me for saving them from the Nazi’s.

Anzio has been awarded the Blue Flag for the quality of its beaches stretching for miles, remains of Roman walls and openings dot the beaches, restaurants line the port and fresh seafood is cheap and plentiful. If I go back to Italy... Anzio will be on my list of places to spend a few days.

Budapest has very easy access to what I consider the best transportation system I’ve ever experienced in a large city... the RER in Paris, Metro in Rome, GVB in Amsterdam or Metro in Prague don’t compare. You go out the front door of your apartment, walk to the corner and it’s two blocks to the Metro station one direction and one-and-a-half to the tram and a block to the bus... can’t ask for a better location. The cost for using the system is 13€ for a week pass on the Metro, trams and buses... a very good value, and you’re always within a couple blocks of the system from virtually anywhere in the city.

There are grocery stores, cafes and bars, internet access, movie theaters, basically what ever you want but a short walk from the apartment... another plus which goes with the location. Raday Utca has great restaurants and the food/drinks a of good value for being in a trendy area (about 4 blocks from the apartment).

Den Hague was a place I wanted to visit if for no other reason the Slobodan Milosevic was on trial there. But what I found was a seaside resort area where seagulls make you aware of fresh seafood. It was a short train ride from Amsterdam and I’m glad I experienced the place... however, I don’t think I would make it a destination for a weeks stay - too many other destinations to explore.

The Hague is the actual seat of government, but, not the official capital of the Netherlands, a role set aside by the Dutch constitution for Amsterdam.

However, if you drive there and are interested in WWII, there are about a zillion bunkers to explore. The area was heavily defended by the Nazi’s and it doesn’t take too much to see the ruins (most are still very much intact actually) of the West Wall fortifications.

Florence is home to David and the main reason I took a day trip there from Rome. It is the capital of the Tuscany region, has a metro population of approximately 600,000 and is considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Of the 1,000 European artists of the second century, 350 lived or worked in Florence... in other words if you want to see art Florence is the place to go.

The other thing which sets Florence apart is the language. It’s the parent to modern Italian and you can hear a difference when people are conversing around you. After spending a couple of weeks in Rome, Florence was a great day trip and a nice train ride thru the countryside to boot.

Frankfurt has some areas which look quite old, however they are nothing but reproductions of old buildings. WWII completely destroyed the city and it’s claim to fame is being the financial and transportation center of Germany. Others may say it’s claim is having a red light district rivaling Amsterdam’s.

Frankfurt is a multicultural city. I spent a night there on my way to Munich and tried to find a restaurant serving German food - settled in a nice Greek dinner instead. I took some time to walk the city center and found it to be like any modern city and frankly I don’t know if I would recommend it as a destination to someone visiting Europe for the first time. It’d be a more enlightening experience to stay in one of the smaller towns 20+ kilometers outside of the city to get a feel for Germany

Innsbruck was only a stop on the way from Munich to Bolzano Italy. It’s located a few kilometers from the start of the Brenner Pass thru the Tyrol Mountain range... the pass runs thru the lowest pass thru the mountains and you can drive rather fast on it.

Innsbruck had more elevated electrical wires than any other city I’ve visited. There is no doubt hydroelectric plants power the area which I’m sure helps to keep the pollution of 1.8 million trucks driving past it each year down. It’s not a large city... kind of what I expected it to be. Seemed everywhere I looked they were building something for the upcoming Olympics.

Koblenz is another Nazi stronghold during WWII. It is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument (Emperor William I on horseback) are situated.

When I visited the city, there was The Big Steam Spectacle taking place for the second time on the Easter weekend 2004. Not only were there steam trains, but steam driven machines of all types... musical instuments, model trains, engines, boats -- anything you could image driven by steam power was on display. Shear luck to have experienced the sights.

Munich has the Hofbräuhaus but, not far outside of the city limits is the Dachau concentration camp. I was surprised a few of the people I spoke to had know idea of its importance to history... shocking actually, and sad at the same time.

I had a lunch there and was once again reminded German food is not my favorite. In general I find it extremely bland. For instance, I was told the Augustiner am Platzl (located near the Hofbräuhaus) served authentic German food - the best in Munich. Roast pork, sauerkraut, steamed broccoli and pretzels. Other than having the best beer brewed in Munich, it was more of the same... zero seasoning — roast pork was exactly that, nothing more.

I only spent a couple of jet-lagged days there, but my main reason for stopping was to see the concentration camp... I wish I would have gone to the BMW museum tho, I understand it quite an experience if you like cars and I do, maybe I’ll put Munich back on the schedule for a return trip.

Napoli is inhabited by a lot of happy-go-lucky people in general.. for instance, a red stop light means proceed as quickly as possible with out actually stopping — or, he who gets to the front of the line is the next served (an experience similar to New York City).

They say Neapolitans are a bit crazy because they know if Mt. Vesuvius blows it’s top they are all in the red-zone and are probably going to die — they watch the mountain very carefully, but the bottom line is the city is so congested there’s no way to get anyone out before the ash buries them.

I don’t think I’d recommend spending too much time there. It’s a must see tho… maybe I’m just getting too old to deal with the confusion:)

Normandy is “the” battle ground for the allies in WWII. To think over 4,900 US soldiers alone were killed on D-Day is mind boggling... and even more sobering is the fact over 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or missing makes every step you take in freedom an honor.

I drove along narrow roads in an area of mixed woodland and pasture, the roads are bordered on both sides by tall banks with thick hedgerows grown on top of them... which limit visibility. It was in the “bocage” that some of the wars fiercest fighting took place and just thinking about what happened there made my skin crawl.

A stop a the American cemetery in St. Laurent is a beautiful place overlooking the English Channel... it’s also the final resting place for 9,387 brave men killed liberating Europe (not to mention the 1,557 listed on the Walls of the Missing). It is a truly sobering experience.

Ostia Antiqua is located 32 kilometers from Rome... “Ostium” is Latin meaning “mouth” and Ostia was at the mouth of the Tiber River, which flows through Rome. The ancient city is actually very well preserved, more so I my opinion, than the more famous Pompeii. Ostia was a commercial center and the harbour city of ancient Rome. In 200 AD it had a population of almost 100,000 people. Well preserved are apartment buildings, taverns, grocery stores, amphitheater, public bathrooms, statues and beautiful mosaics.

Paris is a wonderful a place to spend some time and is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with over 30 million foreign visitors per year. There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world famous institutions and popular parks.

I rented a loft in the Latin Quarter about a block from the Pantheon... the locals walk around historic sites like it’s no big deal. Well, I guess if you walk past Notre Dame everyday it’s no big deal. But, attending Palm Sunday Mass was a big deal to me I must say. I’ll go back sooner rather than later.