Photo of the Week: Rottinger

This is typical of the small German towns along the Romantic Road in Bavaria. Rottinger doesn't even warrant a mention in most guidebooks, and there's not a whole lot to do other than wander around, but if you have a car, it's fun to stop and see a little bit of what "real" German life is like, as opposed to the touristy areas right next to the train stations.

Photo of the Week - Castle Guard in Prague

This photo was taken at the Castle Quarter in Prague. I'm actually curious how close I would have had to get before I either got a reaction out of this guy or was kindly escorted away by his comrades (or colleagues, since we're talking post-communist era here).

Though my ushanka with its Soviet emblem clearly labeled me as a tourist, I couldn't resist buying it. The shopkeeper swore that the emblem wouldn't offend anyone, but I removed it shortly after this photo was taken and only replaced it when I got back to the States.

Incidentally, about a third of Prague's population sports similar fur hats in the winter, and my touristy trinket actually helped me fit in - until I opened my mouth and butchered the language.

The two vents in the photo (one under the guard's feet and the other just behind it in the shack) are heaters to keep the guys warm.

Photo of the Week: The Bay Bridge

This is the Bay Bridge, heading to Oakland from San Francisco. During the 1989 earthquake, a portion of the top level - Oakland to San Francisco - famously smashed down onto the lower level.

Photo of the Week: Fannette Island

A helpful cloud shadowed the shore in the background, allowing a good look at what Fannette Island, in Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe, looks like without losing it in the nearly identical background.

Photo of the Week: Art in Ranthambore

Since India's Ranthambore National Park is ranked among the top places in the world to see a tiger in the wild, all the shops in the tiny nearby town cater to tigers. The man in the plaid shirt paints all day, and I bought the painting with the black background above his head for the equivalent of $10, which hopefully represents a decent profit to him.

Photo of the Week: Home of the Sun King

This is the home King Louis XIV had built - Versailles. Not far from Paris, I stopped here on the way to Normandy with my family. We had our luggage with us, but didn't think it would be a problem, since there is luggage storage at the palace.

Rolling a suitcase, however, across all those cobblestones not only takes forever and jars your whole arm with each stone after a while, but it is also incredibly loud.

Despite that, the palace was worth it. As were the gardens (which I don't have pictures of, unfortunately).

Photo of the Week: Vatican Guards

A pair of the famous Vatican guards - Swiss mercenaries in uniforms designed by Michaelangelo.

Photo of the Week: Vintage Car Races

I took this photo almost exactly a year ago, at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Every year, at the Wine Country Classic car races, vintage cars from as early as 1910 through 1975 are raced on the course. The car pictured above is a 1970 Dodge Challenger participating in the "Golden Age of Trans Am" group.

Photo of the Week: A Church on the Main

This is a church on the Main river just across from Frankfurt's altstadt, or old town.

Photo of the Week: This is a Car?

I have no idea if this is supposed to be a car for use by paramedics or not. It seems like it would be too small to do any good, but maybe it's used to get through some of Amsterdam's narrower streets. Either way, it is definitely smaller than a Smart car.

Photo of the Week: Sea Turtle

Napili Bay on Maui, Hawaii, has two reefs, making it a great place to spot sea turtles. This one was eating off some rocks near the point.

Photo of the Week: Rafting the Truckee River

Rafters heading down the Truckee River last year. I took it on the way to Lake Tahoe, and rafting on the river is usually pretty tame, since we never seem to get enough rain these days to make it run quickly. I remember going several years ago and having to drag the raft over a couple of high spots. Spring and early summer is probably the best time to go.

Photo of the Week: Florence's Duomo

This is Florence's Duomo - Brunneleschi's masterpiece. Each year at Easter, the Florentines roll a cart full of fireworks to go off in the square in front of the church. Interior decorations in Siena's duomo are more detailed, but Florence's is bigger and better-detailed on the outside.

Photo of the Week: Fortress

This is part of a French fortress on the island of Saint Martin, in the French Antilles (Sint Maarten in the Dutch Antilles). The island is divided between French and Dutch sides, and really wasn't what I was expecting. Though it's in the Caribbean, it feels more desert than tropical, but it's still worth a visit, and the guavaberry liqueur - and all its associated beverages - is awesome.

This photo is about as close as I got to the fort since time was limited (a drawback of going on cruises), but I could just imagine how imposing it must have looked to a Royal Navy or pirate vessel when the Caribbean, with its crops of tobacco and sugar, was one of the economic trade centers of the world and was the scene of intense battles at times.

Photo of the Week: The Taj Mahal

One corner of the Taj Mahal, which is every bit as beautiful as people say. I wrote about it at length here.

Photo of the Week: Street in Siena

There's something about the perspective in this photo that I just like. It's a run-of-the-mill street in Siena, Italy, even though I think it looks kind of fake, like a movie set or something.

Photo of the week: Hawaiian Sunset

I like to think this is a classic, "I wish I was there..." photo. It was taken from the town of Lahaina on Maui, and I liked the sunset with the tiki torches. The island in the background is either Molokai or Lanai.

Photo of the Week: Amsterdam's Bike Lockup

Amsterdam is best known for its canals, red light district and Anne Frank's house, but the most common way the locals get around is by bicycle. This is a photo of the bike lockup next to Amsterdam's train station, and literally contains hundreds (if not thousands) of bikes on two stories.

Rush hour in Amsterdam, with thousands of citizens riding home from work, is something to see.

Photo of the Week: Austrian Movie Appearance

This is the back side of the house used in the movie "The Sound of Music." The front side was a different building entirely, but both are relatively close together in Salzburg, Austria, where "The Sound of Music" tours abound. The lake in the foreground is manmade.

If you enlarge the photo by clicking on it, you can just see the walls of Schloss Hohensalzburg (Salzburg's castle) above and to the left of the house.

Photo of the Week: Parliament and Big Ben

This London icon holds the legislative body of the United Kingdom on the banks of the Thames River. The famous Big Ben is on the right side.