My daughter's college graduation gift was a three weeks trip to six countries in Europe (thirteen cities). I get to tagged along because I get to pay for the trip and because she wanted me to take her pictures.

Aside from "almost" loosing the contents of my belt bag to pick pockets in Italy (luckily I saw the hand inside my belt bag before they can even get anything out), everything was perfect. The bus ride and changing hotels almost everyday was the one that I can live without.

Taking pictures during the tour was not easy. Most of the time, we will arrive at the destination at the worst time to take the picture. The sun was very bright and harsh shadows were all over. Our hotels were very far from the city proper itself, so waking up early to catch the sunrise or staying late to wait for the sunset was out of the question. There were, however, a few cities that we stayed near the city and I was able to take a few good dramatic pictures.

We spent most of our time in the bus. So many of the pictures were taken while on the bus. Not only do I have to fight the glare on the window but also keeping the camera steady and adjusting the color balance through a tinted bus window were really a challenge.

I took more than 4,000 pictures during the three week tour. I only posted what I think are the best of the lot. I hope you enjoy them.