We’ve landed!

 After a couple of flights and a mostly sleepless night we’ve reached our first destination, Bruges, Belgium. After meeting the Grand Circle representative at the airport in Brussels we met 3 of our group who had arrived on different flights and we were driven about 90 minutes to Bruges by a very quiet but very competent driver. Not too much conversation amongst us though, as we were all in about the same level of exhaustion! The 2 women are from Colorado and the man is from Tampa, and we were the youngest in the group so far. 

After dropping off our luggage at the hotel we headed out for a little bit of local sightseeing and to scout for a restaurant for dinner on our own tonight after a welcome drink with the guide and the remainder of our group. We returned to the hotel to find our room was ready for us and now, after a shower and a 2 hour nap (and a cup of good Belgian coffee) we’re refreshed and ready to face the rest of the day. I’m thinking that a good night’s sleep will reset my body clock and have us ready to conquer Europe!

Adieu for now my friends!

Rome

 Again, no pics today. We left our resort near Orvieto yesterday and drove to Rome, our last stop. I’ve been fighting a cold for a large part of this trip and that, combined with the asthma symptoms that showed up prior to coming here, has left me with very little stamina. For that reason I chose not to go see the iconic sights of Rome yesterday, although Debbie went with the tour group.  

There was another tour today of some lesser sights but we both chose not to go, instead resting up for a long travel day tomorrow. I’m looking forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed, and I know she is too. Ciao!

Assisi and Orvieto

 No pics today. We left Siena yesterday morning and drove to Assisi where we toured 4 churches and went up and down some seriously steep hills. Needless to say, I’m churched out after all that. 

Back on the bus we drove to a resort in the countryside about an hour from Orvieto. It was a quick stop and drop before we went to a nearby winery for a tour of their facility and a wine tasting of four of their varieties. Then back to the resort for a late dinner.

A word about the resort: it’s a former monastery that’s been converted. I have no idea how many rooms there are, but it’s a lot and they have a swimming pool, tennis courts, sauna and hot tub, and you can book a massage as well. It’s a nice place but right now we just want a bit of downtime. 

The reason for that is we just returned from Orvieto, a hill town we spent about 5 hours touring. And when I say hills I really mean it. You ride a funicular to get up a big hill and inside the city walls, but you’re only halfway there. Everything else is sloping up or down or you’re climbing stairs. I’m exhausted after all that and ready for a nap. Ciao!

Siena

 

We’ve been busy! Yesterday we left the Cinque Terre and boarded the bus, destined first for Lucca, then Siena. Lucca is a beautiful walled city where we had a couple of hours to explore and get lunch before moving on to Siena, where we are staying 2 nights. 

Upon arrival we hit the ground running, taking a long walking tour of the city and learning a lot about the neighborhoods and traditions. There are 17 neighborhoods in the city and they have rivalries that go back centuries. Twice a year there is a horse race (Palio) held in the center of town and 10 of the 17 neighborhoods will have a horse running. It’s all done by random draw, including which horse represents which neighborhood, and these people are fanatical about it! They hire jockeys and try to bribe the competing jockeys to lose and it’s all very crazy. 

Anyway, one of the neighborhood groups (called Contrada) hosted us for a dinner they prepared as a way of raising money for the race. It was very good, starting with an appetizer course of cheese and salami, followed by a pasta course, and then a main course of stewed wild boar and potatoes. Dessert was gelato plus biscotti and wine for dunking it in.We are definitely eating well here! 

Today we started out with a trip to a stained glass shop to see the process of making those spectacular windows, followed by a tour of the Cathedral here. It has amazing marble mosaic floors that are covered most of the year to protect them. We were fortunate to get here at a time when they’re on display because they tell biblical stories and are really something to see. We did some more eating and sightseeing this afternoon before coming back to the hotel for some needed rest. Ciao!

Cinque Terre Day 2

 Today was a completely free day to explore whatever we liked. After breakfast we hooked up with a couple from Green Bay, WI and took off. These five villages are right on the coast and are not connected by roads, only by the railway above us and the Ligurian Sea below. We bought day passes for the trains and set off to explore the villages. They are only about 5 minutes apart by train, so it was definitely a hop on, hop off experience. 

There’s about a zillion souvenir shops and even more restaurants catering to the masses of tourists, including the ones off the cruise ships that dock a little farther South in La Spezia. The trains bring them here as well. Anyway we wandered around, seeing the sights, and just being tourists through all the villages until finally deciding to get on the ferry boat and head back to where we started. It was a fun but tiring day, especially considering that everything here is on hills and you’re constantly going up or down. 

We capped off the evening with a great dinner of seafood Tapas and pasta. Arreviderci friends!

Cinque Terre!

 

So we rolled out of Florence this morning and our first destination was Pisa, home of the famous leaning tower. A local guide had been hired to show us around, and Roberto was a true comedian. He had us all in stitches while educating us about all things Pisa. 

From there we went on to the Cinque Terre, a group of 5 villages huddled on the Ligurian hills next to the ocean. This was the most picturesque spot on my last trip to Italy, and therefore my favorite. The group activity today was a demonstration of making authentic Pesto and I really learned a lot. The best part was getting to eat it, followed by a course of Sea Bass with French fries. Yum! The local wine and lemoncello washed in all down very nicely. Ciao!

Florence

 Following our long bus ride yesterday, we regrouped for a walking tour of the neighborhood, followed by a visit to the Academia Museum where Michaelangelo’s David is on display. It was a big mess because even though we had a certain time to enter, we were delayed for over an hour due to a strike by train unions that shut things down the day before. Therefore the tickets from the previous day were being honored as well as the current tickets. So they rushed us through in about 15-20 minutes so they could close at their usual time. Needless to say I was disgusted but still tried very hard to not be the “Ugly American”.

Today’s planned visit to the Ufizzi looked to be a similar experience because on the first Sunday of the month admission is free. We chose not to go stand in a line to see that one. Instead we went to the Galileo Museum where the crowd was much smaller and we had a fascinating time. The standing and slow walking took a toll on us, as our bodies gave out before our minds did, so we did the only logical thing: went to get Gelato for lunch!

Anyway, it’s time for a little nap and then we’ll go back out for more adventures later. Ciao!