Albergo Celide Lucca

... again, it was another one of those famous sites we all have seen many pictures of but to experience it in real life was a treat. Lunch and espresso at a little local joint, we seized the day, and continued on our journey.

Torre Pendente Facts:

Today it is leaning 17'-4" off of vertical.
Started construction in 1173.
Work stops in 1185 as tower begins to lean.
In 1285 work started again, with the new levels ...

... cook our own Italian dinner....wasn't bad.

Florence was a joy. Kara had a fun time driving in the traffic with all the crazy Italians! Our friends couldn't believe the amount of motor bikes and how they would weave in and out of traffic. The Dome and all that goes with it were great ...

... 8230; and couldn’t find a park… jagged a disabled spot and thought we could always rip mick’s leg off if we got questioned.. Made a dash about 500metres up the road to see the leaning tower… it really is leaning!!… then quickly back to ensure the car was not towed away… back on the road heading north to Porotvenere..

... Pistoria.. Tried to find a shop open to buy beer (not stubbies) as cans are huge…and tissues for runny nose etc… seemed like an easy task but it is a very old town.. Very narrow streets.. A Sunday and nothing open… but we did see a bit of the town… some bits more than once as we went round and round and round… anyway found that there was a shop open in next town Monsummano… got supplies and then tried to find the B& ...

... br>
Later that night was probably the most interesting part of my time in Cinque Terre. I went out at around 9 to find something for dinner, and as I was walking past a café on the main street in Riomaggiore, I came across an Australian I had met over two months earlier in Hamburg. That is a long time and a long distance. Europe is way too small…

But thankfully the Australians are back. I feel much safer now.

... staying in Torano a small town, perched in the mountains where marble is mined.

This will now be our home for the next couple of months.

As we aren't technically travelling at the moment we are temporarily suspending our blog, but will start up another blog about our lives in Tuscany.

Happy reading for now, and we hope you enjoy the winter or summer where ever you are.

... but had decided to move to Italy 3 months ago and was picking up the language as she went. She had a good friend from San Francisco, as well. Her boyfriend, Luca -- one c, not two, was from southern Italy and knew every person in Florence. I found this out by accompanying them to a few bars and along the way Betina and I would just walk down the street while Luca ran from street vendor to passerby to restaurant owner saying, "Ciao!! Ciao!!" I was with an authentic local ...

Short trip into nearby Lucca today to meet up with Chris and Maureen who had flown over from UK for a few days and were staying nearby. Had a coffee in the central piazza before hiring bikes and riding 'round the town walls - very pleasant. Lunch in the piazza (pizza's of course!), before wandering the pretty streets and looking in the quaint shops. Returned to our car to find it had been broken into! Passenger side window ...

... Everyone dresses up and it Gonzaga rented out a dance club called Dolce Zucchero. Some of the silent auction gifts were baskets, dinners, skis, paintings all of which were bid very highly upon considering most of the students were a bit tipsy:) The raffle had over 200 prizes like a $150 gas card, free trips, cooking lessons and a bunch of other stuff. Of course I didn't win anything big but thats okay I won a trip to the midnight bakery. In Florence all of the ...

... and the Marriage Commissioner ). And of course we had forgotten our temporary wedding certificate (the authentic one is being mailed to Alex's brothers place) so I had to email Earle and Darlene (whom have adopted us in Squamish) to see if they could scan it and send it to us. Thanks a bunch!!! Still none of Alex's relatives believe us, where are your rings? Why no wedding? So I guess they won't believe us until we can find a ...