May 9, 2026

May 9, 2026

To get our body clocks adjusted to the drastic time change, we thought we would start with a long walk through the Singapore Botanic Gardens, the small country's only World Heritage Site. It was a short subway ride away. The garden was started in 1859 by a British botanist to develop a strain of rubber trees that would thrive in this area. He must have been successful as the Malaysian Peninsula soon produced half the world’s rubber. Nearby Indonesia made the other half. That would be a problem for the USA during WWII when the Japanese captured the area. You can’t make Jeeps without rubber tires. Fortunately my fellow chemists rode to the rescue with a Manhattan Project scale effort to develop synthetic rubber.

The extensive Gardens are a joy to walk through. They are lush like a jungle but very well designed and very subtly manicured. It must take an army of gardeners to maintain. There are dozens of specialty gardens, like Rubber, Heliconia, and Ginger. There is even one designed to tell the story of the Evolution of Plants. The only drawback is the humidity. It is punishing. We are both dripping in sweat.

The Gardens are all free except for the Orchid area. Despite the abundance and variety of color, it was not my favorite section. Although the chilled Cloud Forest greenhouse was a well-needed break from the heat.

We exited the opposite end of the gardens and took another subway line southeast to Chinatown. When the British settled this colony they assigned the many different imported ethnic groups their own enclaves. Our first stop was at one of Singapore’s many signature Hawker Centers. They are essentially giant food courts. We chose Thai because that is our travel comfort food. The Green Curry was delicious but piping hot. And it took forever to cool in the stifling humidity.

We took some time out to shop the many stalls looking for a belt for me. It was surprisingly hard to find any kind of belt selection. We had almost given up when Aimee spied a shop selling exactly what I wanted. And they were on sale. I bought two for a bargain price.

We finished our time in Chinatown visiting two Chinese Buddhist Temples that seemed overtly commercial for religious establishments. The highlight for me was an out-of-place Hindu Temple. It was gaudily painted in a fashion that I think is common in southern India.

Aimee is thinking we overdid it for our first day, so in the early afternoon we take the subway back to our hotel to enjoy the A/C and rest our tired feet. The killer humidity is draining our curiosity.

May 7-8, 2026

May 7-8, 2026

Yesterday's travel hiccups were merely an annoyance. Today the real travel pain begins. We are back at the San Francisco airport early to begin an excruciatingly long 16+ hour flight across the vast Pacific Ocean to southeast Asia. I figure we need to do these faraway trips while we still can. We are headed to Singapore but the travel gods kept telling me we should have considered India instead. Our shuttle bus picked up over a dozen Indians at a nearby hotel. At SFO we were given access to the Air India Maharaja lounge, and on the flight I had two delicious Indian curry meals. We might just have to sign up for that southern India tour I have been thinking about when we get back.

Normally I like to sit by the window and watch the scenery pass. This time Aimee didn't trust me with all the cute Singapore girls in their stylish uniforms managing our flight so she made me sit next to her in the middle row where she could keep an eye on me. After the first meal I tried to get some rest in between three movies.

Finally in Singapore, we made it through customs, got our bags, and found our waiting driver. A half hour later we were checking into our hotel. We arrive to rainy weather. We are exhausted and lost a second day crossing the International Date Line.

May 6, 2026

May 6, 2026

Clearly the worst part of travelling is getting to the destination. No matter how experienced and prepared we are, there are just too many variables. Travelling is months of planning combined with last minute packing hoping we didn't forget anything in the rush. This time I left with no belt. We also learn this morning that our flight to San Francisco is delayed two hours due to fog. No surprise, this happens half the mornings on this route. And then somehow my boarding pass came with Aimee's middle name voiding my TSA Pre-check. Arrrgh!

Our flight path passes Phoenix, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas and the eastern slope of the still snowy Sierra Nevadas. We turn left at Yosemite and fly over San Francisco Bay. I am shocked to see ponds of vivid red water. This is caused by halobacteria that thrive in the still operating salt evaporation ponds of the estuary.

We arrive in San Francisco to find our hotel shuttle doesn’t operate in the afternoon. After running down the list of options in tax-heavy California, we punt and cancel our plans to explore downtown San Francisco. Instead we find a food court that serves wine with our burger.

January 28, 2026

January 28, 2026

Aimee and I took our neighbor to see a movie this afternoon, a rare event for us these days. Song Sung Blue is about a duet Lightning (Hugh Jackman) & Thunder (Kate Hudson) who have a Neil Diamond tribute act in southern Wisconsin. It starts out a cute love story that runs into tragedy. We went partly for the music we enjoy, but also because we have a personal connection to this true story. The real-life female lead, Claire Stingl is a cousin to a guy Aimee and I have played golf with often. The only problem is I now find myself whistling Diamond tunes all the time.

January 20, 2026

January 20, 2026

Aimee set the alarm for 4 AM this morning. After dressing and final packing, we dragged our bodies out of our Florence, Italy hotel and into the nearby Piazza. Our driver arrived exactly on time, just like both trains we took. Italy is the new Germany apparently.

Our first flight took us over the snowy Alps right past the Matterhorn peak landing in Paris on time. We flew Air France on this leg. We always look forward to it as their food is usually very good. We weren’t disappointed. We could smell the fresh croissants as soon as we got on the plane. Our flight also took us across the Butter-Oil line. Romans cook in Olive Oil. Here we savor a croissant dripping in butter.

After a couple hour layover, we boarded another Air France flight. This one came with a full meal. It was delicious. Afterwards I asked for seconds for dessert and a big glass of Cognac. Our long flight took us over Iceland and the center of Greenland. Both looked snowy and very cold. Pack-ice continued across the Davis Strait to Baffin Island. I was a little surprised. It is going to take a lot more global warming before the famed Northwest Passage is truly navigable. Right now only a polar bear would love it.

Since this is a day flight, I took the opportunity to watch three movies. They included two of the three original Star Wars movies I haven’t seen since they first came out. While watching I kept an eye out the window as we passed the lofty Grand Tetons rising steeply from Jackson Hole. Later I saw Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.

During our long layover in LAX, we took the opportunity to freshen up with showers. That is a nice perk of the Business Lounge. By the time we board our flight to Tucson, I am exhausted and I sleep the entire way.

We are happy to be home. Neither of us likes the cold anymore. I am ready for Tucson warm. Aimee is tired of the art lessons I have been giving her. She has some post-trip reading assignments learning about Greek and Roman mythology and Renaissance art. We had a good trip though. Despite the forecast for continuous rain, we had only a few showers over two days. Despite being winter we found crowds aplenty, especially in tightly packed Florence, the home of Pinocchio. We also got lots of exercise. Aimee's phone said we walked 117 miles!

Rome is a great mix of ancient Roman culture and more modern Baroque papal splendor and excess. It is endlessly fascinating. A visit to Florence filled in the missing Renaissance period. Fortunately for my tastes, both cities had venues overflowing with sculpture. While Aimee could relate to the famous Boy with Thorn in his Foot, I like the dynamic statues that invite you to walk around them. Bernini was the master of this art form.

January 19, 2026

January 19, 2026

Today is devoted to the Duomo since most museums in Florence are closed on Mondays. A reservation is required to climb the dome of the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore. I thought Aimee might enjoy the history lesson while getting some early morning exercise. It is 463 steps to the top, with the last part being a narrow staircase between the two domes.

There was a competition in 1418 to build this massive dome (between Ghiberti & Brunelleschi again). Brunelleschi won this time. His design was revolutionary and it was the largest dome built since the Roman Pantheon 1500 years earlier. Some consider this event to be the start of the Renaissance. From the observation platform on the lantern, we get great views of Florence.

We are the first to go down but we still have to navigate the narrow passage inside the dome with the next group coming up. We stop at the base of the dome to get a photo of the floor far far below. When I did the climb many years ago there wasn’t a protective glass blocking photos. Travel today is a big tradeoff.

The Duomo is not open to the public yet, so we are directed back outside. We choose to visit the next door Baptistery in the interim. We first circle this immense structure checking out the three famous sets of doors (all copies) again. After entering we sadly find the medieval gold mosaic ceiling is under restoration behind a screen. The only exposed section is in an exterior archway.

We next visit the Duomo Museum housed in the original sculpture workshop. I was expecting just to see the original Baptistery doors that have been moved inside here since I last saw them many years ago. We do find all three sets elegantly exhibited, although lots of the gilding has been worn off from the millions touching them over the last 600 years.

The museum turns out to be far larger and very interesting. The Duomo once had a partially completed Gothic facade. After the dome was completed, this decor was considered old fashioned. It was removed but the plan to reface it fell apart. This symbol of the Renaissance lay bare for three centuries until 1887. The city fathers saved all the Gothic statues and they are now exhibited in a full scale model filling an open atrium.

The museum also goes into the design of Brunelleschi’s dome. He was able to build the dome without full scaffolding by building a second dome made of brick in a herringbone pattern that was self-supporting until the mortar dried.

Besides the original statuary of the Duomo facade, the museum contains the original sculpted medallions that litter the facade of the Campanile or Bell Tower. Each depicts some craft or field of science. Aimee likes the weaving one. Humorously the mechanical arts is represented by what looks like a flying monkey from Oz but is actually Daedalus and his wings of wax. The discovery of wine is depicted by a drunk Noah.

This museum turned out to be very interesting but they need to employ a German consultant to help them with signage and routing. The numbered rooms were not in order and we struggled at the end to find a restroom before exiting.

From the museum we checked out the new front facade of the Duomo. It was interesting to see all the designs that were considered before settling on this one. The Duomo is now open for visitation, but the security line for the public is very long. We circle the Duomo hoping there is a special entrance for ticket holders. Thankfully there is.

We are directed first to the crypt which has the mosaic floor remnants of an earlier church and a handful of tomb covers. Back up at floor level, we find the Cathedral is cavernous, but for such a famous church with a nice facade, it is almost barren inside. Several monuments are just painted on a wall. Only the dome ceiling is decorated (Vasari's Last Judgement).

We wander back towards the hotel and elect to visit the Laurentian Library attached to the Medici’s home church of San Lorenzo. It is on the opposite side from their chapel. Michelangelo designed it to hold the Medici books. It has an elegant neoclassical marble staircase with a very long elongated reading room. Deep benches line both sides. Did the Medici ever have this many reading visitors?

For lunch we ordered Lasagna with our salad. It was so tasty we ordered a second serving. We followed it up with Tiramisu for dessert again.

Italians like to do their ‘passeggiata’ (city stroll) in the evening. Since we are getting up early tomorrow, we do ours in the late afternoon. We think briefly about climbing the Duomo Bell Tower. Instead we walk north ending at the Fortrezza da Basso. This castle guarded the northern gate of the city. During Cosimo’s time it held troops ready to quell rebellion. It is now the city’s exhibition center.

We stroll back south past the Duomo to Piazza della Signoria getting one last look of the fine sculpture in the adjoining Loggia dei Lanzi. Aimee spends some time shopping for Italian yarn, while I check out a cook making pasta in a restaurant window. Italian pasta comes in a huge variety of shapes. Back at the hotel we retired early.

January 18, 2026

January 18, 2026

We left after breakfast towards the Arno River. We stopped on the way to circle the facade of the Orsanmichele Church. Unlike most churches that commission statues for the interior, this one has niches all around the exterior of the building. Each was paid for by different guilds and sculpted by the best of Florence. Donatello’s St George slaying the Dragon sports a shield so it was not surprisingly sponsored by the Armor’s Guild.

We continued through the Piazza della Signoria with its Neptune fountain and equestrian statue of Duke Cosimo I. Also in this central square is a medallion marking the spot where Savonarola was publicly burned at the stake in political backlash. Only a year earlier he had inspired a revolution and held a ‘Bonfire of the Vanities’ where citizens burned sinful art and books in the same spot.

Across the square we walked through the Uffizi Gallery courtyard checking out the 28 statues in niches. Instead of saints like Orsanmichele, these contain the most famous of Florence history.

We next followed the Vasari Corridor on the ground from the Uffizi and across the Ponte Vecchio. The bridge used to be full of butchers and tanners. Cosimo didn’t like the smell permeating his new passageway so he threw them out and invited goldsmiths. They are still here to this day. Aimee is disappointed to find they haven’t opened their shops for the day. They are boarded up so tight there is no window shopping either.

We continued following the corridor to Santa Felicita Church where we enter and spot the private balcony where Cosimo and his family would worship, never having to mingle with ordinary citizens.

We finished at the Pitti Palace. Cosimo’s wife didn’t like the castle-like Palazzo Vecchio so after about fifteen years they bought this unfinished palace and had Vasari renovate and enlarge it. It is now an Italian state museum.

After having our tickets scanned multiple times, we decided to start on the highest level and work our way down. We start in the Costume Gallery that begins with the outlandish and bulky clothes that royal women wore in the Renaissance. Normally I would be snoozing right now, but the collection was interesting because it followed Italian high fashion all the way through the Belle Epoque and Flapper eras to the mini-skirt of the 1960’s.

Also on the upper floor was the Modern Art Museum. It was kind of a misnomer only in that it was more recent than Renaissance and Baroque. There is nothing ‘modern’ in it. I enjoyed our walk through the galleries.

The art is all in what probably was the living quarters of the royals who owned the palace after the Medici’s died out. For a time that even included some French Napoleon relatives. The collection included a number of Romantic Era paintings, along with lots of the ‘de rigueur’ portraiture. I was intrigued with two female statues in the probably standard fashion of the day.

We then moved down to the main floor and toured the Palatine Gallery. It has over 500 Renaissance and Baroque paintings filling every spot of wall space in these highly decorated palace rooms. Each hall is dedicated to a different mythical story or god and decorated with brilliant ceiling frescoes. It would take days to do this art justice. My favorite was the Venus Room.

On the ground floor we quickly ran through the Treasury of the Grand Dukes. It is a little bit like the royal collection we saw in Dresden but on a more modest scale. Even then it has a most outlandish collection of ivory carvings, not to mention amber, crystal and other stones.

From the Pitti Palace, we worked our way back across the Arno, checking out the facade of the Palazzo Bianca, and the now open jewelry stores of the Ponte Vecchio. We crossed over the Santa Trinita Bridge which was blown up by the retreating Nazis in WWII. The stones of this prized Renaissance structure were fished out of the river and carefully reassembled. The sun is in the right position for photographing the Ponte Vecchio. We popped into the Santa Trinita Church to check out some nice Ghirlandaio frescoes.

We were waylaid getting across because of a long line of Vespa scooters on a club road rally. Most of them must be 2-stroke as they leave a stinky cloud of gas vapors behind.

We next passed through the Piazza Repubblica with its triumphal arch built into one side. We sit and watch a street band play some music for a few minutes.

After resting at our hotel room we go for lunch at the same spot as a few days ago. For some reason it is jam-packed today and the service is very slow. Despite that the Chicken Cacciatore (hunter) was very tasty. The Chianti wasn’t bad either.

After lunch we toured the nearby Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. Like all the others it is very cold inside. Shockingly the gift shop is inside a chapel making it the nicest one I have ever seen.

The best part of church is the choir area behind the altar. It has a bunch of colorful frescoes by the Renaissance artist known as Ghirlandaio. He shows his mastery of linear perspective. Michelangelo worked for him on it too at the age of 13. Even then he was masterful enough to show depth by painting shadows of non-descript figures.

The tour continues in the vast set of cloisters in this Dominican facility. We run through the Spanish Chapel, the Cloister of Dead, and the (really) Large Cloister before exiting.