 PARIS: Got to Musee d'Orsay first thing in the morning and headed straight for the impressionists. Flashless photos were allowed. I was surprised how well they come out. Still, nothing compares to standing two feet away from an original Renoir. |
 The Grand Sphinx in the Louvre is over 3,000 years old. |
 Evenone has seen Venus de Milo so I thought I'd go for the less popular angle. |
 So amazing to see each brush stroke, each swirl, each glob of oil right before your eyes. |
 Notre Dame, spectacular by both day and night |
 A 1:00am light show from across the Seine made for this entertaining view (no, I didn't Photoshop this) |
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 I had a minor obsession with these "Smart" cars. They're the same length as a motorcycle and they're all over the place. |
 Notre Dame from across the river |
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 Sacre Coeur |
 Night view from Sacre Coeur |
 AMSTERDAM is the perfect city for taking black and whites. I like the sepia finish because it makes the photo look timeless, and Amsterdam is definitely a timeless place. |
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 This is my favorite photo of the entire trip. Canals and bikes. That's a pretty good description of Amsterdam. |
 The tall building in the center of the photo with the dark green ground floor doors was Anne Frank's house. A painfully sad and frustrating reminder of recent history. |
 I climbed the stairs of an old church bell tower to see the view of Amsterdam, but this photo of the gears that rang the church bells ended up being my favorite of the day. |
 VENICE: From the front steps of the hotel |
 Venice, like Amsterdam, is a place seemingly uneffected by time. |
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 Venice is great for color photos too. |
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 My favorite Venice photo |
 FLORENCE: Belltower of Santa Maria del Fiore |
 Replica of Michelangelo's David in the Palazzo Vecchio. |
 Evening view from Ponte Vecchio |
 Wine tasting in Tuscany |
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 Sunflowers out the train window on the way from Florence to Rome |
 ROME |
 Graffiti on Rome's public transit |
 What's left of the Temple of Castor and Pullux (484 B.C.) in the Roman Forum |
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 A peaking view of the Colosseum from a path above the Forum |
 Temple of Antoninus and Faustina |
 Fontana di Trevi built in 1735 |