London

We spent 3 days in and around London and all agreed that we could spend weeks here exploring this wonderful city and the adjoining countryside. From the Tower Bridge to the Tower of London to the Globe Theatre to the many cathedrals, statues, monuments and grand architecture in general, it was a visual delight. We found it a bit expensive but would not let that deter us from coming back.

The Tower Bridge is probably one of London's most recognizable landmarks. We stayed at the Tower Hotel, an easy walk to the bridge and the Tower of London.

Grand cathedrals exist all over the city. Because of our limited time we took one of the famous London double-decker tour buses around town to get our bearings and see the highlights. It had been raining for several days but we lucked out with beautiful clear skies and temperatures in the 60's.

New construction is built around fragments of the ancient buildings that once made up this commercial and intellectual hub.One of the highlights was our visit to the reconstructed Globe Theatre. Construction was started in the late 1980's and finished in the early 90's. Materials and construction techniques were borrowed from Shakespeare's time and great efforts were made to duplicate the original building, including the construction techniques; no power tools were used in the construction and everything is held together with wooden pegs rather than nails. Inside exhibits range from period instruments to clothing from Shakespeare's time and information on the history of the theatre. Unfortunately we were not allowed to photograph inside the theatre as a rehearsal was in progress.

We passed this guy on the way back to the hotel -- a real air-head.

Love the whimsical sculptures -- this one kind of reminded me of something from Journey to the Center of the Earth.

Walking is popular in London. In fact you see very few private vehicles on the streets -- lots of cabs, buses, delivery trucks, bicycles, scooters and motorcycles, but very few private cars.

So many visual delights...

This is the parliament building, where both the House of Lords and the House of Commons reside.

Looking down the River Thames, you see the Eye of London (very large ferris wheel) on the right, the Parliament Building on the left and Big Ben behind that.

Sorry, I just couldn't stop taking pictures.

A dragon guards the entrance to the old town of London. Every main street entering the old city has one.

Strong National Museum of Play - Rochester, NY

Wow, what a place to take kids, both young and old! This three-story museum/playhouse is a hands-on wonderland. It would be easy to spend a very full day (or more) exploring all the exhibits and innovative play areas. It also houses an impressive collection of vintage toys and dolls. I would highly recommend a stop if you are ever in the area and are traveling with children, or without...
Betty on the steps of the Sesame Street set.

Bert and Ernie were happy to see us,

and Betty even got to be on TV!

Exhibits are scattered throughout the play area and there are pleanty of life-sized playrooms -- and children are free to play and stay as long as they like.

The Bernstein Bears posing with Betty.

No self respecting playland would be complete without a section devoted to comic book heroes.

A great place and we were as happy as Mr Potato Head that we saw it.

George Eastman House, Rochester NY

Rochester, New York was the home of George Eastman, the founder of Eastman Kodak Company. After his death, the bulk of his estate was given to charity and his personal residence turned into a museum which is still furnished with over 85% of his original furniture and artwork. Additionally, it houses the George Eastman Photography Museum. I was expecting the photography exhibit to be a bit larger, but was still impressed with the number of original prints of many famous images. Unfortunately photography was not allowed in the photo museum so the only images I have to share are of the estate.
Beautiful grounds, beautifully decorated and a wonderful display of iconic images.