Residenza Il Borgo Lucca

... and we stayed until we were ready to retire for the evening.<br><br>Sat 14 Nov<br>Next day we had a sleep-in and then went for a run around the 4km city walls. Twice around was enough for Kim and I managed a 3rd. After a shower we were back in town for more meandering and I had one of the best Cupuccio's (Capuccino) ever!! We found a few hours during siesta to catch up with the ...

... on the main street near our apartment and came across one which we hadn&#8217;t seen open before- it had beautiful looking pastries- why didn&#8217;t we find it before our last day? Actually, I didn&#8217;t think they were as nice as the French ones we had.<br> We had to pack our bags and get organised for the move out of the apartment.

... Coast without the roads, money or development. Caught the train to Monterosso Al Mare which was the most northern village which had pebbly grey beaches and large statues carved in the rocks. It was quite warm and you could imagine the beach could be crowded in summer as there were people sunbaking on the beach. We decided to catch the train to the Vernazza, the next town south to have lunch. This was a really pretty town, with houses lining the piazza which ...

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>

... We found a restaurant that had been recommended called Ristorante Giglio but we arrived too early- in true Italian style, it didn&#8217;t open until 7:30 pm, so we just had to go promenading with the locals until it opened. I came across the chocolate shop open that was closed earlier when we went past so I had a look. The dinner at the restaurant was probably the best meal we had had in Italy. I had a Tuscan dish ...

... called Easy Pisa, was a short 3.5 hour tour that took us by guided motor coach from Livorno to the center of Pisa. On the way, Elsie noticed a group of cyclists, riding toward Livorno, seemingly enjoying the perfect conditions for a Sunday morning ride! In Pisa, we had time to visit the Field of Miracle which includes the Leaning (Bell)Tower, Duomo, Baptistery of Giovanni and Camposanto. Surrounding much of Pisa are ...

... just a bit northeast of it is Marlia, where I stayed with cousins. It&#8217;s country, with farms and gardens and even some factories.<br> <br> Lucca and Environs<br> It&#8217;d been twenty-five years since I&#8217;d been to Italy, which means that, if I continue this pattern, the next time I go I&#8217;ll probably be in a box. My mother&#8217;s cousin Giuseppina is now seventy years old, which I why I didn&#8217;t ...

Today we woke up bright and early to check out Lucca inside of the gates. Michael came home and was nice enough to be our tour guide. We wandered around looking at many plazce gardens and towers all over Lucca. We stopped by a nice place for lunch. There, we were able to look through a book with information about all the famous and extravagant Villas around Lucca ...

... most people walk only a short distance as they stop in each of the little villages. The track used to be the only way to travel between these villages, and the whole Cinque Terre national Park was listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1998 ...

... probably try to sleep it off between today and tomorrow. The trip to Interlakken, Switzerland is looking really good for the last weekend in February. Next weekend is Venice and should be fun. Unfortunately, I really haven't found a travel partner. A lot of people aren't following through or are making the process more complicated than it has to be. Everyone seems to want to travel in a group but it gets messy that way. We'll see how it goes. Ciao for now!