Cologne, Germany-Karnival

Door to the Dom

Closed for Karnival. We had hoped to see the museums and cathedral on our trip

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 The Dom was very impressive from the outside and inside are reputed to be the bones of the three Wise Men no less. Most of Cologne was very heavily damaged in the War so it has little of the original architecture, although some was reproduced. The Dom was bombed and restored. Unfortunately, we were unable to see any of it as they had it all closed up for the Karnival crowds which were very large.

Cologne TV tower-similar to Berlin's

Bands from all over Germany show up for the 6 day Karnival. These guys were great!

Something that seems quaint about this 60's-70's architecture.

These were destroyed in the WWII bombing and rebuilt just like the originals.

Along the streets are these brass memorial plates marking the homes and businesses of Jews deported in the Holocaust. A number of German cities have these and in some spots, most of the sidewalk is made of brass.

Many different colored soldiers-green, blue, red

Everyone is decked out in some elaborate costume or funny hat.

Zoe made the trip!

Rome Part III-Vatican Museum

The Pope's ancient globe-zodiac

Even the gift shops, and there were many, had painted ceilings

This large area of rooms as far as you could see was closed off-every square inch appears to be painted
 with art

Inside the Vatican museum, so much art and sculpture it's nearly overwhelming. The crowds were thick with tour groups and at times it was almost impossible to move forward. Most was accessible to photographing without flash but the exception was the Sistine Chapel. Even though there were people ignoring the orders shouted every two minutes and cutting pictures, some even with their flashes on, I refrained. I'm sure you can find really great closeups on line. My overall take was it is much bigger than I thought and it truly is a masterpiece. One of many in this place.

Another gift shop

This looked to be gold leafed metal of some sort

View from inside the museum

The old armory of the Vatican. There were hundreds of these cabinets where the swords and armor were stored.

A huge collection of busts that stretched for over a hundred yards-both sides of the corridor  -who were all these people?

Examples of women's headdress and hairdo's from that era

Thousands of fig leaves applied after the fact at some point

Outside in one of courtyards-that famous giant pine cone 

Egyptian 

There were two large halls with just animal sculpture-we were lucky we got in as it closed later due to the crowds 

Gore as art

More gore as art

I like the picture of the cat going after the chickens

Yep, it's a rock lobster 

Still in the Vatican-remnants of a very old fresco, from a
1100's chapel that was redone in the 1600's 

This is also part of the very old chapel fresco-apparently the whole thing was adorned with these and only a few are all that remain.

It's a very large bathtub-all marble of course

A room that was closed to the public -not sure why

Bill Wilson's estate is paying for this restoration 

A sarcophagus that took 47 horses to move and depicts an army tromping ????

These guys are holding up the above mentioned sarcophagus

Inside the Vatican Map Room 

Looking up in the Map Room