Travel day

 So we left Castelrotto this morning, but not before I managed to bang my head going through the “hobbit door” that was the entrance to our room. Fortunately the door jamb is made of stone so there was no damage to the hotel or yours truly! It only took one instance of forgetting to duck to make me remember. 

Several hours in the bus took us to Sirmione, on the banks of Lake Garda, a picturesque little town that’s made for tourists. We had a couple of hours to explore and get some lunch, followed by the largest portions of Gelato I think I’ve ever seen. After lunch we again boarded the bus and headed to our next destination, Lecco, situated along Lake Como. It’s a bustling small city and we’ll use it as a base to explore the neighboring towns on Lake Como tomorrow. So , that’s all for today. Arrivederci!

The Italian Alps!

 Yesterday we left Venice via water taxi and then by bus to the Dolomite mountains here in northern Italy. Ironically enough, both the Italian and German languages are spoken here, as the border is nearby and has been redrawn over the years. In Italian, the town’s name is Castlerotta and in German it’s Kasselruth. And I thought I had an identity crisis!!!

The only group activity today was an optional bus ride higher up into the mountains for some hiking. We decided to forgo that and try to catch up on some of the rest I’ve been missing out on because of this cold. Thankfully I feel like I’m getting past the worst of it and hope to sleep through the night tonight.

We took a cable car (gondola) to the top of one mountain and did a short hike followed by hot chocolate and soup at the hilltop restaurant. Hope you enjoy the pics. Ciao and uaf wiedersehen!

Venice

 I’ve been neglecting this blog for the last couple of days, in part because we’ve been so busy and in part because I’ve been feeling under the weather. My lungs have been doing ok but I may have caught a cold, so I’ve been trying to get some extra sleep.

Anyway we had a couple of local tours through Venice, went through the Doge’s palace, and did a gondola ride with most of the members of our group. Very busy couple of days with lots of walking and many stairs! We also discovered a restaurant yesterday at lunch that was so good we took 2 other couples back there for dinner last night. Fortunately they all agreed with our assessment of the place! Ciao!

Italy!

 Today was a travel day. So the morning was spent relaxing and resting up after a very active day yesterday. We flew Vueling (a German airline) and had a fairly enjoyable experience. It’s bare bones but was relatively comfortable, and fortunately the flight was just under 2 hours. Anyway, we landed at Marco Polo airport, outside of Venice, and caught the shuttle to our hotel for the night. We had a really good dinner at the restaurant that’s part of our hotel. Tomorrow we’ll take the train into the city and meet our tour group at the hotel where we’ll all be staying. 

That’s all for tonight folks. Ciao!

Sightseeing in Barcelona

 Wow! What a busy day! After breakfast our first event of the day was at Park Guell, where we had a guided tour of the grounds. Our guide was really interesting and knowledgeable. There was a lot of walking and stairs though, and my legs, already tired from yesterday let me know they weren’t used to that stuff!

Fortunately we had enough time for a quick nap at the hotel prior to leaving for the next tour at Sagrada Familia where we had another terrific tour guide. How they can remember all those facts and dates is beyond me, but they really make it look easy.

We even managed to go to the Block of Discord to see another Gaudi creation, as well as designs by a number of his contemporaries, side by side. Talk about an architectural display…wow! We followed that up with a wonderful Tapas meal and a glass of Sangria. Is it any wonder I’m exhausted? Hopefully another good night’s rest will have me rejuvenated. We fly to Venice tomorrow.

Barcelona

 So after a looong day of travel, we finally made it to Barcelona, cleared Customs, and figured out the Metro system enough to get to our hotel. A quick shower refreshed us and a quick sandwich from a little restaurant down the street and we set off exploring. Of course, the Ramblas was first on the agenda. This pedestrian only street is a real feast for the eyes, with fantastic old architecture, numerous shops selling everything a tourist could want, and people watching opportunities galore. 

Of course all that walking is thirsty work so we decided a little (?) Sangria was in order. Needless to say, by dark we were tired and hungry, so a small late dinner of Tapas was just what we needed. Then it was off to catch up on some much needed sleep. Today we have tours scheduled for Park Guell and Sagrada Familia…it promises to be a fun interesting day. Adios!

Test 2

 

Test

 Seeing if this is feasible to post with my phone