On the road again...

After a quiet evening we headed out to San Giovanni (or something like that). A beautiful little town on a hill. We had gelato at 9:30 in the morning because it was the "best in the world." It was a good. There were many street vendors so we did some shopping.

Then on to Assisi. This as an amazing town. I can not believe that people live in the old houses. Really something.

Arrived in Rome around 6:00. Walked to Trivili Fountain and then to the Panthenon. Dinner, the metro and a concert in the park across the road. Tomorrow, a tour and then the Vatican. Group dinner in the evening. I do have pictures we have not posted...you might have noticed.
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On the Road to Rome

What an interesting day.

We stopped at a vineyard this morning. We were given a lesson on wine making, then a cooking class. We made our own pasta. I think we did well.

After a wine tasting, we then sat down to a five course lunch. At one point, Kevin dazzled everyone at the grand piano. He was playing one of his originals and did a little crooning. When we left we could hardly move. The place itself was absolutely beautiful, on the top of a mountain.

A quick stop at the wine store-then on to our hotel. A bed and breakfast villa...kind of in the middle of nowhere. We have been walking around checking out olive groves.

Florence-day 2

What a day....it started with a two hour walking tour.  After, we decided to go up the 413 steps of the Bell Tower near Duomo. I MADE IT! And even got back down. Thank goodness Kevin kept an eye out for me.

We then had plans to go to the Uffizia Gallery. On our way we stopped by the Old Bridge. It was the only bridge not bombed by the Germans during WWII.  They did manage to bomb the buildings leading up to it on both sides. Now, it has 43 jewelry shops on it.

During our Gallery visit--I can say that I have now seen a Michaelangelo, Goya, Raphael, Rembrandt, and so many more. Kevin loved the older pieces. Things were pretty impressive.

From there, back to the Church of the Holy Cross. This was where many of these famous Italians are buried--Galileo, Michaelangelo, Rossini, Machiavelli. A little wierd, but very beautiful. We even had dinner outside this magnificent building.

We walked a LOT today. I soaked in the tub upon returning to the hotel. It felt good.

Off to Florence

Our one (I hope) day in the rain. Off to Florence. It  rained the entire ride there. Through beautiful valleys and hills.

Arriving at our more modern hotel on the edge of the city, facing the Arno river, Kevin and I took off like a shot to check things out. We came upon the Galileo museum. Just in time, the rain started again as we decided to check it out. It was very interesting...and I learned some things, a lot of fascinating things. Now, will I remember? Probably not. Kevin was thrilled and interested in all.

We walked a little further into the square near the Uffizi Gallery...but, it was just to wet to do much more. An early dinner with the group, and an early night.

Second day in Venice

Today there was high tide. We had an early tour through parts of the village. The area that we had walked through yesterday was totally underwater...and it had gone down by the time we had gotten there. We took a boat to a nearby island, Murona. There they are famous for glass making. We got to see a talented gentleman work his trade. Upon returning we had some free time. 

Kevin has mastered the art of wandering. We went to the other side of the Rialto bridge. There we found a street market, some "garage sale" vendors and had gelato. I tried the raspberry and it was delicious.

We then headed to St. Marks square. They had been setting up for a mass- a special one to meet the new Bishop. We got there in time to hear the last run-through of a song. We planted ourselves right behind the chorus. The most thrilling part was when all the bells in the city starting ringing-announcing his arrival. The chorus joined in with their song--in pitch with the bells. It was an amazing experience. I had goose bumps. Thousands singing, the bells and it was just awesome. 

Then came our gondola ride--but not singing. After a "light" dinner, we ventured through some mazes that we had not done in another part of town...and thus, ended our night in Venice. 

Venice arrival

Got here safely as did our luggage. It took us 40 minutes by water  to cross the lagoon to get to Venice. Kevin and I have managed to wander around St. Mark's Basilica. It is amazing how the city has all of these alley ways..and no cars. We finally got so we could find the hotel so we may venture a little further tomorrow after our two hour tour.

The buildings are something else. I can not imagine living  here. We will probably force ourselves to do a gondola ride. We shall see.

Pictures will be coming.

Departure day

Guess it is finally time to pack. Then what? I have all day to putter. I will probably clean, work on a quilt and just wait. Hopefully I will be able to sleep through much of the trip--I know Kevin will. An airport seat will feel like heaven compared to sleeping on  the bus.

We are scheduled to arrive in the Venice area tomorrow afternoon--which is morning here. There is a six hour time difference. 8:00 here means 2:00 there. China was a lot easier 1:00 am was 1:00 pm.