Hotel Fabbrica di San Martino Lucca

... on internet and then back to the bar for more wine and tapas.<br><br>Sun 15 <br>Did some chores... yes we have some, we are not totaly void of resposibility. Went to the supermarket to stock up on food and went to an Aire d'service to empty Theo (our Thescott cassette toilet). Enough of that and we were back in the walls checking out the Antiques Market and eating Gelati... YUM!!<br>

I had thought about going to a town which was half an hour away by train to look at a chocolate shop there which was supposed to be quite unique, but I didn&#8217;t feel very well and the thought of being on another local train didn&#8217;t appeal to me. I decided to look at the local chocolate shop in Lucca but it was closed on Mondays. The ...

... and then coming back to Riomaggiore station, walking through the tunnel to the town for a quick look, then went back to catch the trains home. What was amazing between La Spezia and Viareggio was the mountains where they quarry the Carrera marble and the large blocks of marble that lay in the yards. Both of the railway stations, despite being fairly grotty, had subways lined with marble as well as marble seats. We arrived home fairly late and were all tired.

Just realized those not on facebook haven't seen pictures from Pisa and Florence. No long recap of Anthony and I's weekend in Tuscany, for obvious reasons. Also note that "Anthony and Alison's Great Adventure" was like taking a knife.<br><br>Love you guys! :)<br>

... was basically rabbit caccitore which was very nice but salty. Actually I have found most meals that I&#8217;ve had in Europe very salty. Greg had a whole fish while Katelyn had lamb chops which she said were very nice. Greg had profiterols which he said were delicious. We have found the wines that we have had in Italy quite good. There were 2 Irish women sitting near us and when we left they asked me if we were Canadian!

Buon Giorno! This morning we arrived in Italy! Livorno to be exact! Italy's third largest seaport. The port city for Pisa, Florence and the Tuscan region! Our tour of choice - Pisa! Gotta see "The Field of Miracles"! <br><br>The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply The Tower of Pisa (La Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. It is situated behind the cathedral ...

... windows open; letting the cross breeze and smell of the country envelop you on the train. A few times when this happened, I just sat back, closed my eyes and inhaled the moment and the experience. I hope that I never lose that memory.<br><br>I, yet again, trusted my intuition and the ****** Rick Steeve's map to find my hotel. Therefore, and nobody will find this surprising other than me, I got utterly lost and walked almost half the town with a 45lb bag on my back. Note to ...

Moved camp today headed for Italy. Dropped into Grace Kelly's pad (Monaco) for a bit of a look around and drool at the huge yatchts moored in the harbour. GPS took us right down to the waterfront! Boys had a ride in a Ferrari 360 around the Grand Prix circuit - they were pretty stoked at that! Toured the Palace which was beautiful inside. Could see a bit of a storm brewing, and it was pretty windy so after going round in circles for a bout half an hour (GPS was ...

... entire perimeter of the old city) is a tree-lined promenade. People walk, cycle, and jog along it. Very unique. I walked along the wall and then sat for awhile, reflecting on the trip. Back to Florence - I took a nap on the train, but was jolted awake. Some girl's big suitcase tipped over, and its extendable handle came crashing down on my thigh. Kind of a shock and kind of painful! The girl felt pretty bad, but I easily forgave her as she was a cute ...

... home to eat, yet, another wonderful supper cooked my MAMMA! Oh yeah, we've been stuffing our faces with MAMMA's outstanding cooking!!!!! The third day we went to the village where my dad was born called Vagli Sotto, a mountain village. We also visited Vagli Sopra, and Campocatino, two more mountain villages higher up the mountainside. There are a few part-time Yellowknifers in the area as well as family, so there was some visiting ...