This is a good time to recap the first two-thirds of my 80 days around the world, since I am about to leave Germany to fly back to the US. In the past two months, I have traveled on the Trans-Mongolian Express (TME) from Beijing to Moscow, visited the Russian capital and St. Petersburg, and several cities in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany.

The next segment will be a stay in New York City and a short trip by car to see the Fall Foliage. The final leg will be the counterpart to the TME: a cross-country trip via Amtrak to Philadelphia, Chicago, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and finally back home to San Francisco.

Join me in the next few weeks as I compare cross-country trips between the U.S. and Russia!! I also look forward to seeing old friends and family.

Below is a glimpse of each stop. You can find the posts by searching the city or in the archives for July-September 2015.

Beijing: Best Hotel Experience in a traditional Chinese Hutong (Courtyard) Hotel

Entry to Courtyard 7

Vestibule to Room

Restaurant Interior

The Trans-Siberian (Mongolian) Express:

The Trans-Mongolian Express travels from Beijing to Moscow and is part of the Trans-Siberian Express. It connects to the Trans-Siberian Express in Ulan Bator and picks up the route that begins in Vladivostok.

Mongolia and Ulan Bator:

Mongolian Family

1a. Yurts in Mongolila

Yurts in Mongolia

Ulan Bator

Moscow and St. Petersburg:

St Basil’s in Red Square

Interior skylight of the Metropole Hotel-Art Nouveau vintage similar to the Sheraton in SF

Park next to Kremllin

View of Red Square from Kitay

View of Moscow Skyline

Plaza in front of Hermitage

Entry Doorway

Inside, a Russian Harrods

Hermitage Museum

Canal Street

Berlin:

View of Ground Floor

Top of Dome

View from Street

Gendarmerie Area in Berlin

Gendarmerie Area

Salzburger Festival Performances:

Werther Curtain Call

Anne Sophie Mutter Curtain Call

Dirndls and Lederhosens Alive and Well…

I think mine’s at the end….

Salzburg

Vienna and Linz, Austria

Schonbrunn Palace

Lobby Interior

National Library Collection

Interior of National Library

Area around St. Stephen’s

First Arrival View of St. Florian

Christians found on site

Ceiling for the Bored

St. Florian Library

Family Tree

Switzerland

Typical Swiss Scene

Brunnen

Cecilia Bartoli in Gstaad

Basel Art Museum

Golf Course View

For Schwabisch Hall, see recent posts.

And a few earlier posts organized by my favorite topics:

Architecture:

The Bolshoi Theater, Moscow

Courtyard 7, Beijing

The Admiralty, St. Petersburg

Reichstag, Berlin

Schonnbrunn Palace, Vienna

Beautifully honed Stonework, Salzburg

National Library, Vienna

Two-level Farmhouse, Hohenlohe

Food:

Chinese Banquet

Voila! Our gift from attendants

Piggie Bread in Moscow

Apfel Strudel

Wiener Schnitzel, Wien

Swiss Cheese, Salad, and Potato for Raclette

Artwork:

My favorite Mother and Child

Legs on steroids

Bauhaus influenced or inspired?

Decorated Plates

Madonna and Child, Cranach the Elder

Portrait of a Woman, Coreggio,

Benois Madonna, Leonardo da Vinci

Picasso, Three Women 1908

Matisse

Furniture item

Early Stone Carving

cellar sculptures

Artist 3

Photos may be repeated from earlier posts.