This is our bus to take us to the airport in Houston.

On the bus.... Ready to go...

Jake & Julie... Andiamo!!!

3 generations...

At the airport in London. Changing planes.

The Beairds in London.

On the jet from Gatwick to Venice.

The country fields of England.

The White Cliffs of Dover.

The Swiss Alps.

On the boat going to Venice.

Mr. Beaird ready to explore Venice.

Mr. Henry enjoying the ride to Venice.

Venice, Italy. From the water.

I think the boat shrank....

The Bell Tower in Venice. Much more impressive than the one in Las Vegas....

The church in Venice.

In the famous Venician square in front of the church.

The Venecian Glass factory.

A great shot of the bell tower in Venice.

The clock and the bell ringer on the roof.

Waiting for the clock to ring....

Jake

Julie

The entrance to the imperial palace of Venice.

Imperial Palace of Venice.

Waiting for the next tour...

Composite of the palace and square.

Composite of the waterfront.

The "streets" of Venice. Gondolas and everything.

Going down the street in a gondola.

Bridges everywhere.

....more gondolas and bridges.

Buildings on the Grand Canal of Venice.

The Riata Bridge of Venice.

"Oh, Solo Mio....." he sings to us...

Grand Canal

More buildings on the grand Canal

....and still more.

Beautiful, if you ask me. Very peaceful.

Last look of the Grand Canal...

.... and then the other way....

Leaving the Grand Canal, heading down another side street.

What are they built on?????? Floats?

Almost finished with our Gondola ride...

Another veiw of the bell tower.

The golden staircase in the Imperial Palace of Venice.

The prison next to the palace...

A picuture from the window of the famous bridge that connected the palace and the prison.

Decending from the prison to the palace.

Stairs from the prison that we just came back from.

The palace and the church from the courtyard.

The steps leading up to the Royal Palace.

The bells in the top of the bell tower in Venice.

View from the top

Panaramic views of Venice from the top of the bell tower

Riata bridge at night

On the top of the bridge looking back at Venice.

Period costumes playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Sculputures in front of the church in Bologna

Fountain in Bologna

Church in Bologna. Very famous church.

Piaza in Florence

Sculptures in Florence

Famous bridge in Florence. Oldest bridge in Italy

Baptistry in Florence.

Church in Florence

Famous doors to the baptistry in Florence.

Michelangelo's David

Lips sculpture in front of the Pitti Palace in Florence

Gardens of the Pitti Palace

On the way to the top of the dome of the church in Florence

Stairs between the dome and the roof of the dome of the church in Florence

We're not tired at all... Only 467 steps to the top....

View from the top of the Dome in Florence

Bell Tower in Florence

Church in Florence

Assisi

Walking to the church of St. Francis of Assisi

Olive trees on the way to the St. Francis Church

The Meador family

Gulianna, our tour director

The bus trip from Assisi to Rome. Lots of tunnels.

Roman aquaduct

Rome - Collisium - from the bus

Rome

Rome - Capitol

Rome - Fountain in front of the Panthion

Panthion

Dome of the Panthion

Piaza Nirvano - Rome

Fountain at the Piaza Nirvano

Trivi fountain

The famous Spanish Steps

View from the top of the Spanish Steps

View from the gardens above the Spanish Steps. Great view of Rome

Victory Plaza - Rope

Gathering at the Spanish Steps before we meet for dinner.

Descending to the subway below Rome

On the subway train

Dinner in Rome

Sisters

The Schuber Sisters.... Cathy, Nathalie, Cynthia

View from the bus on the road to our Rome hotel.

The outer Vatican wall

In the Vatican, before the tour began

The Vatican Courtyard, looking at the the "gallary"

Sculpture in the courtyard... I don't know what it is supposed to be....

Inside the Vatican Galary, on the way to the Chapel

The dome inside the Vatican Gallary. It is designed exactly like the Panthion, only smaller. Notice that this one is decorated with gold leaf.

Mosaic floor tiles

One giant piece of marble.

Inside the chapel. Michaelangelo's paintings

The pope enters the chapel through these doors.

The stairway descending from the chapel.

One of the doors entering St. Peters Cathedral

St. Peter's Bassilica

The ceiling of St. Peters.

Michaelangelo sculpted this out of marble when he was 24 years old. This made him famous.... Mary holding the crucified Christ.

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

St. Peters square (Piaza de Santo Petre)

Going to the collesium

The Roman Collesium

Inside the collesium

Under the collesium floor were all of these chambers for animals, slaves, etc... Gladiators would come from below.

Descending to the Roman Forum.

Ceaser's body was creamated here

Julius Ceaser walked along this very road on these very stones.

Upon this very balcony, Mussolini would give his speaches.

The river in Rome at night.

The Roman bathhouse

Lovers will place thier name on a padlock, then lock it on fences, gates, etc in romantic places. Strange Italian custom.

Aldo is personalizing our new Italian leather wallets.

My view from my table at our last meal in Rome.

Another veiw from my table at our last meal in Rome

My table and seat at my last meal in Rome.

The airport in Rome

The train ride at Heathrow in London

Heathrow the next morning as we were about to board the plane to Houston.

Our 747 that we flew from London to Houston on.

The Mississippi river.

Over Texas

The Mississippi

Made it home..... whew

A little tired....

In Texas, on the bus, entering Vanderbilt.