Travel of this beautiful earth
Good morning to all!
We just arrived in Kotor, Montenegro and our first cloudy day. Looks like we will have our first sprinkles soon. Good news is mild temperatures are forecasted all day.
In the meantime here are some photos from yesterday in Dubrovnik.
Hello from Dubrovnik!
Yesterday we were in Zadar, Croatia but did not have access to an internet connection. Soooo…we are in a cafe sending photos.
Zadar is a city of about 100,000. It was heavily bombed in WWII and again by the Serbs in 1991-1995.
It has a charming old town with a giant musical instrument called a sea organ.
Yesterday was a big sightseeing day, a 9 hour day trip that included the capital city and the beautiful Lake Bled. It was also a visit to our 99th country, Slovenia!!
We next saw the beautiful Julian Alps on our way to the stunningly beautiful Lake Bled for lunch, followed by a boat ride to St. Mary’s church on the tiny Lake Bled Island.
Greetings to all!
We sailed out of Venice via the Grand Canal late afternoon on Thursday the 27th, another ‘First’ for us. Here are some of our favorite photos.
Big HI to everyone.
We had a little extra time yesterday afternoon and decided it was a perfect time to explore the city center. We enjoyed the uncrowded streets, alleyways and squares along the way. We thought you might like to join us for just a few moments.
Enjoy! J&J
Hi all!
It has been an interesting 36 hours. We spent our last day in Florence with a day trip to Fiesole, a hilltop suburb overlooking Florence reachable by the #7 bus and a 20 minute ride.
We left Florence late morning on our second fast train of the trip. They are amazing! 140/150 mph, quiet and smooth.
We arrived in Padua by early afternoon. We are here only one night leaving mid morning tomorrow for Venice to begin our 10 day cruise along the Adriatic, Sicily, Malta and up Italy’s West coast back to Rome.
It has been years since our last visit to Padua, famous for it Basilica of Saint Anthony.
Good day to all!
Yesterday was a rare travel event for us because we signed up for a day trip…along with 54 other day trippers!! Yes, all in the same bus!
The good news is overall it was a good group, with a good guide and driver. The bad news is we were near exhaustion after 10-1/2 hours.
Hence…no Post yesterday!
Here is our recap on the days events!
First stop Monteriggioni, a traditional hill top town in the Chianti Region.
Today the town has shops, restaurants and tourist facilities.
Our second stop was Siena. Our first visit to this city was over 30 years ago! It hasn’t changed much except the tourist hoards and congestion nowadays are inescapable. Most visitors arrive by bus and must walk over a mile before entering the historic center. This stop included a three course lunch!
Our third stop was Lornano Winery in the town by the same name. Our visit included three tastings, a rose and two excellent Chiantis. They were delicious.
Our last stop was San Gimignano famed for its remaining 14 soaring towers dating from the 1300s. Today it draws tourists for its past and present unique features.
It was a great day of exploring in Florence again today. The weather has cooled a bit and crowds seemed lighter. It was a 4 mile walk.
This morning we wandered to the Oltrarno neighborhood, the South of the Arno neighborhood. It’s less touristic, with lots of local uncrowded restaurants and feels more authentic than the tourist areas.
A visit to the south side of the river is not complete without a stroll along the Arno River.
Tomorrow we scheduled a full day tour to Siena, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Chianti. We rarely book such events. It seems a good way for us to see a lot given our limited time in this area.
Our big surprise today was how far the Italian train system has advanced in the last 20 years. Our train ride from Rome to Florence took 1-1/2hours thanks to the fast trains. We calculated an average speed of 143 MPH!
Good news is our hotel for the next 4 days, Pensione Pendini, is located in the center of the town with period furnishings. It’s quite nice!
Our top floor room has a great roof view including:
We were not surprised to see how crowded Florence was after our visit to Rome. We had read that Europe in general is overwhelmed by tourists. Guess we will consider shoulder or off seasons going forward.
We went for a walk to the nearby Piazza della Signoria. Here are some of our favorite sights.
We arrived mid afternoon yesterday after a 10 hour overnight flight from San Francisco with a connection in Frankfurt onward to Rome.
With only a few hours to get reacquainted with the neighborhood around our hotel, located between the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps, we went for a walk. Within an hour we were greeted by a thunder shower. Oh well, time for cocktails at a local hotel pub.
Today we decided to explore something new. This morning we strolled down to the always beautiful Spanish Steps, then onward via the Metro to the sparsely visited St. Peter-in-Chains Churchjjn (San Pietro in Vincoli). Built in the 5th century as the home of the chains for St. Peter as he was led to his crucifixion and the amazing statue of Moses by Michelangelo.We spent the morning and early afternoon strolling slowly back to our hotel.
