Tuesday, July 10

TOUR DE FRANCE


Last Saturday we travelled into the city along with about 1.9milllion other Londoners to watch the the time trial on the day before the Grand Depart (the latter being the actual start where the riders left London and headed down to Canterbury before heading over to France for the next leg). Along with the Wimbledon final and the Live Earth concert at Wembley it was a big weekend for London. More than watching the riding around in circles of men in tight pants on flash bikes, it was a great day for hanging out in Hyde Park in the sunshine and catching up with friends.

Watching the start of the time trial at Hyde Park corner

Adam, Emma and G

Wine to wash down the mini-picnic of chips (You can see lots of planning went into this)

Watching more of the race on another big screen inside the park

Down by the serpentine

Catching up with Andrew, Jon (sp?- aka 'the Norwegian') and Jess (and Ange who was taking Emma for a stroll at the time). Making the most of the deck chairs which, by Green Park standards, are a comparative bargain at £1.50 for two hours.










Monday, July 9

Peter & Paul festival, Bretten, Germany

Sara, Amy and Fran. Very similar to a photo of the three of us on New Year's Eve 1999/2000

In 'garb'
The troops marching out


Left to right Paul, Claudi, Graham, Fran, Traude, Willi's feather, Willi and Rob

Sara, Brigitte and Fran


Medieval festivities in the church square

The Italian flag throwers

Graham sporting his two-week old beard

Paul & Amy


Sunday, July 8

Pienza

Graham, Traude and Bruno



The main square of the village, which is a world heritage site

The amazing view across the valley



The palace in which Pope Pius III lived. Back in his time the life of a pope was pretty luxurious compared to the common folk. Pius designed the layout of Pienza before it was built and the palace was his summer resident or 'bach' when not in Rome


More of the amazing view


Clouds and wheatfields drivin through the tusacn countryside













Thursday, July 5

FLORENCE II

The Ceiling inside the Duomo




View from the top


Not my idea of the perfect job, but one with a great view!




A well deserved coffee after the climb

Palazzo Vechio, home for the Medici family for a while and city hall thereafter

Sculptures in the logia next to Palazzo Vechio

Nuns


A replica of Michelangelo's David - the original is now in the Academia

Some of the frescoes inside Palazzo Vechio


Large globe in the map room inside the Palace - amazing medieval maps, unfortunately too dark to take photos


Sant Ormichele