May 2013 vacation trip to Paris andMonet's garden at Giverny, Then to Italy in Torino, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Milan.

1. This has become a very
popular romantic gesture:
your initials on a lock that is
hung on the railing of one of
the bridges over the Seine.

2. More bridges over the Seine with locks. The Grand Palais in the background.

3. Notre Dame. Celebrating its 850th
birthday with tulips.

4. Fabulous Berthillon ice cream. We got ours. Everyone else is waiting in line.
Just across the river from Notre Dame.

5. Celebrating 100 years of the Tour de France with pictures on the Luxembourg
garden fence.

6. Putting in new color at the Luxembourg Gardens.

7. One of our favorite Paris gardens—the Parc Floral. The first time we have been
early enough to see rhodies and azaleas in bloom.

8. The tulip display at the Parc Floral. We saw Dahlias last time we were there.

9. At Monet’s garden in Giverny.

10. The famous water lily pond and Japanese bridge at Giverny.

11. Plantings to match Monet’s house at Giverny.

12. One of the lakes in the Bois de Boulogne park. You can almost see the
Eiffel Tower in the background.

13. The Bois de Boulogne is a popular place for dog walking.

14. Parc de Bagatelle—the fantasy of rich royalty and now public.

15. The Pompidou Center. All the insides are on the outside.

16. A plaza outside the Pompidou Center, where the Modern Art museum
resides.

17. A view of Paris and Sacre Coeur on the hill from the top of the Pompidou
Center.

18. Torino has lots of grand plazas.

19. Torino has beautiful shopping arcades.

20. The river Po crosses the city. It was very high from rain when we arrived, but
dropped about 3 feet in a couple of days.

21. A famous landmark called the Mole Antonelliana. It now houses a fun Museum of
Cinema.

22. One of the best museums of Egyptian
antiquities in the world is in Torino. The
museum building is currently under
construction.

23. Scenes from the Giro d’Italia bicycle race.

24. Scenes from the Giro d’Italia bicycle race.

25. Important thunderstorm warnings and castles in the hills above the river.

26. Really good gelato!

27. The Frecciarossa super fast train we took from Torino to Milano.

28. The Frecciarossa at 272 km/hr. It topped out at 300 km/hr.

29. The Milano train station.

30. The local trains. We took one of these from Milano to Lake Como.

31. At the train station in Varenna—across the lake from where we stayed. The train
goes through a tunnel on the way north.

32. At the ferry dock in Varenna on the way to our hotel.

33. Our walk to the hotel and views from our window.

34. Things you can see in a walk along the lake.

35. Walking up the hill to the bicycle museum.

36. More sights on the way up the hill to the bicycle museum.

37. The Museum of Cycling at Madonna del Ghisallo.

38. The Madonna del Ghisallo
chapel named for the hill it
tops. The pope admitted
the Madonna as the
patroness of cycling.

39. Ferries on the lake and “Vias” (walkways) in the towns.

40. The Villa Melzi gardens on the lake.

41. Rainbow out our window after a
thunderstorm, one of our favorite
restaurants and more villas on the lake.

42. Villa Carlotta gardens and inside the
villa.

43. Moon on the lake near the hotel.

44. At the ferry docks in Stresa and Baveno. Swans on the lake.

45. Our private park below our apartment in Lesa and our view from the balcony.

46. Lakeside after dinner in Lesa.

47. Villa Pallancino zoo and gardens near Stresa.

48. Oak at the entrance to Villa Taranto garden.

49. Villa Taranto

50. More Villa Taranto with tornado damage.

51. La Posta—our favorite restaurant in Baveno.

52. The island gardens on the lake. Isola Bella in the foreground.

53. Gardens and grotto at Isola Bella.

54. Isola Madre garden with sculptures & birds.

55. More silly birds hiding from the rain at Isola Madre.

56. More sculptures in the Isola Madre garden.

57. The famous
Cashmere Cypress at
Isola Madre was
toppled by a 2007
tornado. It was
winched back up by
helicopter and is
back in place with
peacocks roosting in
the branches.

58. The train station.

59. The Milan Cathedral on the
Plaza Duomo. The main
tourist attraction. Setting
up for a rock concert on
the plaza for the weekend.

60. More Milan sights:
The Peace Arch
Sforza castle
Modern Art museum garden

61. And great gelato!