Hotel I Portici Arezzo

Well, our last day in Arezzo.<br>My haircut turned out OK I think.<br>Turns out that the head (excuse the pun) hairdresser had lived in Australia for a few years, and although she couldn't remember much english, I emerged unscathed sans mohawk!<br> <br>We spent the last day wandering the streets of Arezzo in the raiin and discovered new nooks and crannies, it's that sort of town ...

... dellightful cafe for lunch: Margaharita Pizza, with a thin crispy base, belissimo! This cafe is well known as a meeting place for Hollywood stars.<br><br>Cortona has very narrow and steep streets, purrfect for pets.<br>Finally we arrived back at Arezzo and after booking a haircut for myself tomorrow (the hairdresser doesn't speak English so that will be exciting) I am sitting at the La Dolce Vita cafe writing this entry while Jane is off looking at the shops (gulp)<br>

Today we hopped on the train to Florence, for those unfamiliar with the Italian rail system, make sure you validate your ticket by having it stamped in an obscure yellow machine on the platform before you board.Fortunately we had read about this, otherwise the guard can get a bit nasty. In an hour or so we were in the middle of Firenze, the first stop (after 1/2 hour queue) was the ...

... just drink wine) and another coconut macaroon, we ventured forth to further explore the town on foot.<br><br>Arezzo has a lively shopping district, the fashion shops being on par with Rome but without the crowds of tourists. We stocked up on some great food at the local supermarket and on tonight's menu is Roast Chicken and Vegies etc etc.

... Ricardo uncovered a 500 year old fresco on the bedroom wall which had been painted over by the communists!! but an old fellow was able to help Ricardo find it. Last night we went for short stroll to pick up some supplies and we chose our first restaurant for the night's meal, a simple pasta dish.Today we did some more exploring and stumbled across a food market which covered about 3 blocks. Rusty's market in Cairns has nothing compared to this one, I ...

... conditions which include a temperate climate, live trees and foliage nearby, consistent rain and then a short dry period &#8211; this allows the mushroom to grow and the dry period provides a good condition for foragers to harvest them. Instead we climbed higher and found out-of-season blackberry and wild apple, ripe juniper berries for gin and medicinal purpose, rose hips for tea and nepatalia, artemis absinthe and wild fennel herbs. <br><br>This was no short walk and by the ...

... to Roma. We've Got It! There is apparently an Italian high-speed train racket that goes like this. You cannot reserve a seat until they're released, and you cannot reserve a seat after they're released because they're all reserved. Now for a few Euros, in the right hands.... In any event, we ended up in first class on the slow train to Roma. First class, second class, we couldn't tell the difference ...

... s funeral is happening this evening back in the States, and Cierra is understandably somber. She decides that it's not right for her to be sightseeing or doing something inconsequential during this time, and she'd rather take a long walk alone, along the city wall that we'd walked part of before. She's gone a long time, and when she returns, she says she's feeling better. Getting up early in the morning, we barely caught the train to Pisa...

... on the other side the difference was striking - I've never experienced anything like it. It was much drier, with less trees and a visible heat. The buildings we passed looked so dilapidated that I feared they may crumble at any moment. It felt like I had passed into a third world country, except I was in a first world train! My change in Milan did nothing to change this. For a city that is supposed to be obsessed with money and glamour, the train station was distinctly dusty ...

... before making the climb, maybe the caffeine might have propelled me to the top with less of an effort... View of Brunelleschi's enormous dome View from the top of the bell tower The views are stunning. We spend a while on the top, taking pictures and just observing the roofs and the bustling life sprawled out before us with the hills in the ...