Europe Visits

The Netherlands

Anne Frank House Prinsengracht 267 Amsterdam http://www.annefrank.org The site is the actual house where she hid from the Nazi occupation. The walk-through tells the story, which is quite incredible. The museum broadened its message to discuss discrimination in various forms. August 2007
Rijksmuseum Jan Luijkenstraat 1 Amsterdam  http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/ August 2007	Fantastic collection of Dutch Masters. You also get a history of the Netherlands and of Amsterdam through the art. Very close to Van Gogh Museum.
Van Gogh Museum P.O. Box 75366 1070 AJ Amsterdam T +31 (0)20 570 5200 F +31 (0)20 570 5222 http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp?lang=en August 2007	This must be the best Van Gogh collection anywhere. What a joy to see in person pieces made famous around the world. The museum is large and airy. There is much more walking that you might expect. The museum houses a great many pieces through his varied career.
European Space Agency Research and Technology Centre Keplerlaan 1 2201 AZ Noordwijk (Süd Holland), Netherlands +31 71 5656565 http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMOMQ374OD_index_0.html The centre is the design and assembly center for ESA spacecraft. One can get tours through the windowed observation area for the assembly area. The Centre also has a museum with European, Soviet and US hardware and mock-ups. June 2008

Dublin, Ireland

St. Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin, Ireland The Dublin city centre is the location of many interesting monuments and structures. Of particular interest is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The building itself is interesting, but as is the case with most European cathedrals, the ornamentation and plaques inside tell many stories. St. Patrick’s includes a memorial to Boy Scouts who were killed in “The Great War”. This one touched our hearts. August 2007

Scotland

National Museum of Flight East Fortune Airfield East Lothian, EH39 5LF Tel: 0131 247 4238 The museum houses many aircraft of importance, not the least of which is a Concorde supersonic transport The museum is located on the grounds of a World War 2-era airbase, and preserves some of the facilities, though they are not a major aspect of the museum. . August 2007
Edinburgh Castle Castle Hill The Royal Mile Edinburgh A must-see stop for its dominance of the region, but up close, one can see the technology embedded in its construction. It is a prime example of medieval defense technology. August 2007
National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street Edinburgh, EH1 1JF 0131 247 4422 The museum has a wonderful exhibit on science and technology, including Dolly, the cloned sheep. We particularly liked the collection of antique scientific instruments. These were from the heyday of Brass and Rosewood. The photo is an enormous mechanical orrey, modeling the movements of the planets of the solar system,. August 2007
The Palace at Holyroodhouse Edinburgh Here you can see how royalty lives. It is opulent, but not as cozy as one might think. A walk from the front door to at TV room might be longer than your walk to the drugstore. The palace tour includes bits of history and royal intrigue, unfolded from room to room. August 2007
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh This is an impressive garden. Perhaps the most impressive are the palm trees housed in a huge greenhouse. August 2007
Real Mary Kings Close 2 Warriston’s Close High Street Edinburgh EH1 1PG August 2007	This is a walk-through of the underground old, old city of Edinburgh. It is interesting for historical background.
Loch Ness 3D Experience August 2007	If you can’t get all the way out to Loch Ness, you can see the 3D movie and get the tourist version of what’s out there. Of course, it is silly in it credulous acceptance of a tourist-attracting monster. If it were sa serious treatment of the subject, the movie would be ten seconds with Sean Connery intoning “There is no monster in Loch Ness.”
Royal Yacht Britannia Edinburgh Dock When not required elsewhere, the Britannia is on display here. The tour includes a description of the operations of the vessel, including the posh suites for Royalty and their peers. Also see the officer’s break room where the embarrassing stratification of British society extended even to senior vs. junior officers. Of course, the grunts worked in very proper British invisibility. August 2007

Italy

Florence Museo Galileo. This museum is on the edges of Florence, and is dedicated to the endeavors of Galileo. This is a very nice compact museum, which presents a large array of devices used in Galileo's time, and even a couple of Galileo's fingers taken after his body grave-site was moved. There is a small interactive area near the exit which allows patrons to play out some of the devices seen in the videos earlier in the museum.	Venice, Italy. Twilight Ghost! Historic Tour. This ghost/ historical tour of Venice was an exciting way to learn about the history of the canal city, without tending to crowds or the heat. As an extra bonus, you get to learn about the somewhat spookier side of the city, and more of the intrigue that racked the city though its years.
Leaning Bell Tower of Burano. Getting outside of Venice you can visit the islands of Milano and Burano which have lives of their own. On the island of Burano, there is an iconic bell tower that actually has a greater inclination that the leaning tower in Pisa, and is very enjoyable to behold.	Milan, Italy. Night Ghost! Historic Tour. The city of Milan has a deep history, and this tour investigated the darker and paranormal side of it. Similar to the Venice tour, this tour was after dark so the heat and crowds were no problem as you roam the streets of Milan, and learn about the war-ravaged city, and the toll the plague had on the inhabitants within.
Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci. This is the Science museum of Milan, as well as a large Leonardo da Vinci exhibition. The museum is huge, and had a large range of exhibits ranging from Space exploration, to steam engines, to particle accelerators, to telecommunications and back to avionics. Alongside this there is a large hall dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci, and a nice exhibit of many of his inventions come to life for patrons to guess at what they are used for (there is a cheat sheet to see if they are correct also).	Ballerno Orrido di Ballerno. This waterfall just outside the town of Ballerno on lake Como is a nice destination if you are passing through the town. It is a pleasant short hike up to the falls, as the trail winds its way around and across the falls. Experience the sounds of the power at work, and enjoy a great view of the lake at the same time.
Bellagio I Giardini di Villa Melzi. This botanical garden is right on the shoreline of Lake Como, right alongside the town of Bellagio. Trees and statues galore as you walk along the paths. Plenty of local plants, but also some more out-of-town trees such as California Redwoods.	Pompeii. Ruins of Pompeii are a unique glimpse into the lives of the Romans. It is a very interesting walk through the ruins of a civilization that lives so many years ago, but one could still see make easy comparisons to life now in the structures, layout, and feel of the city. I highly recommend getting a tour guide to take you around the sights, as there is a lot to take in, and they will know the places to see, as well as providing more interesting information than the guidebook.
Salerno Garden of Minerva This 18th century garden was created for the Salerno Medical School (the oldest university of medicine in the world) in order to assist in teaching about the four humors of the human body. The garden is laid out in rings, having each quadrant of the ring dedicated to a different humor, and the plants for bringing that humor into balance. A great spot to spend your afternoon in Salerno.