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!

Travel day again

 Yesterday was a very busy day, even without having any group activities. We started out traveling by bus from Lecco to Bellagio, then took a ferry across Lake Como to Cadenabbia and spent several hours touring Villa Carlotta and the surrounding grounds. What an interesting place…it was the home of the Bisi family. It seems that the whole family were artists, but the most prolific were the patriarch Giuseppe and his daughter Fiona, who were both highly regarded landscape painters. Considering the beautiful area they lived in, it’s easy to see where they got their inspiration from.

For lunch we had a local delicacy of Risotto with beans and Lake Perch…excellent!

The day was capped off with a very chilly 90 minute boat ride back to our home base in Lecco. Buonasera!

P.S. Forgot to mention that we got up early this morning for a 5 hour bus ride to Florence. Getting ready now for a walking tour, visit to the Academia Museum, followed by a Tuscan dinner! A busy day for sure.

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