I am surprised by how much I enjoyed our stay in “Fair Verona”. In ways that have nothing to do with Shakespeare, it is a very charming and historical town with a certain je ne sais pas, a friendly feeling. Likely, it helped that we met more Canadian travellers there, and on the way there,… Continue reading Verona, IT
Category: Europe
Sorrento, IT
Our trains to Sorrento were quite uneventful, with the exception of the Naples to Sorrento leg, which reminded me too much of our train ride to Lagos, Portugal a couple of months back. The light rail system made about 30 stops or so, while the heat was suppressed only when the train was moving, allowing… Continue reading Sorrento, IT
Roma, IT
Our arrival in Rome marked the end of our roadtripping through Italy, and admittedly, I was relieved to have parked the car and put the crazy Italian drivers in the past. We dropped off the car at the airport and took the train in to Roma Termini, which was smart planning on Mom K’s part,… Continue reading Roma, IT
Tuscany, IT
We spent five nights at La Spiga d’Oro, one of many “agroturismo” farms scattered across Tuscany which host guests in a self-catering style accomodation. Our welcome was authentically Italian. Our host was not in, so we first me his parents, an elderly couple straight out of a cariacature about old-world Tuscan country living, who welcomed… Continue reading Tuscany, IT
Volterra, IT
Our intention, when heading out from the Cinque Terre region, had been to drive through the day on the speedy Autostrada highway and spend the night in Siena. We had been confused on our way in, due to poor maps, missing signage, and unlabeled roads… The same problems plagued us on the way out, and… Continue reading Volterra, IT
Cinque Terre, IT
Ahhh, Cinque Terre (the Five Villages), we made our way here from Rapallo. I didn’t know what to expect, but I heard from many folks that this region was beautiful. And rightfuly so. The area was extremely mountanous and the cliffs dropped off right into the Mediterranean sea. The roads were narrow and winding, and… Continue reading Cinque Terre, IT
“Bonjourno” Italy!
We’ve spent the past several days travelling with my folks, visiting from Kelowna for the first part of our stay in Italy. We met them, after some tribulation, in Meina, a small town somewhat north of Milan. Christina and I had departed from Nice early in the morning. We caught a commuter train to Ventimille,… Continue reading “Bonjourno” Italy!
Nice, FR
We’ve found ourselves back in the south of France, this time in Nice in the Côte d’Azur area. The overnight sleeper from Paris to Nice was comfortable enough, where we shared a 4 bed (2 bunk) cabin with an elderly couple, so it was definitely quiet enough and easier on the back and neck than… Continue reading Nice, FR
Paris, FR (Part II)
Day 5: Of all the museums in all the world, Christina had singled out The Louvre as the one that she wanted, absolutely for sure, to see. Having seen a huge lineup outside on our previous walk-by, we made a point of getting up early and arriving before the doors opened. Getting up before 9:00AM felt… Continue reading Paris, FR (Part II)
Paris, FR (Part I)
Day 1. Our arrival in Paris’ Gare de l’Est came fairly quickly, since we caught a TGV fast train from Luxembourg. We were given directions by our apartment host to take the Number 4 metro from the station to the St. Michel stop, easy enough – except that we decided to arrive at the wrong… Continue reading Paris, FR (Part I)