Buon Giorno! We are now in Italy - the first stop of the European (and final) leg of our journey. We've had brief stops in Rome, Florence, Bologna and Venice - each of which had something unique to offer. That said, the influence of the Catholic Church is the one common theme. Rob's been playing the song 'And If Venice is Sinking' by the Canadian band Spirit of the West. One of their phrases captures the spirit of the country well as they say "the beauty is religion and it's christened me with wonder". The many churches here are amazing! Their size, construction materials and decor are very elaborate. Marble, gold and huge paintings are everywhere! I thought the Taj Mahal in India had a lot of marble, but it's doesn't make a dent in the amount of marble seen here in Italy. One of the churches in Florence had a complete marble exterior. Enjoy the photos and you will see what we mean. We visited Vatican City, including St Peter's Basilica in Rome, but that was just the start. Now it's hard to keep all the churches straight. Some were a bit ornate for our taste but others were lovely and tranquil. The majesty of the several hundred year old structures is impressive.

We also enjoyed exploring the 'ancient centre of Rome' with all it's Roman ruins. One truly felt transported back in time. It's amazing how long man has inhabited this area of the world. From Florence we took the opportunity to explore the Tuscan region. The countryside was lovely and an area to which we must return to explore further. Bologna is known as the place where the "fat and learned" hang out as it is known for its food and it's large, thousand year old university. We really loved it as it wasn't as commercialized or touristy as other areas and the food truly was amazing. One night the guest house manager referred us to one of his favorite restaurants. It's was a great experience and we waddled away after doing our best (but failing) to clean our plates! As tables in Italian restaurants tend to be quite close together we've had some fun and informative conversations with some of our 'neighbors' - most enjoyable. We are now in Venice enjoying its narrow streets and waterways. One of the tour books we read suggested that you spend one afternoon "getting lost" wandering the streets here. We loved that suggestion so much we've tried it a few times (and if you believe that .....). Honestly - we've walked miles and miles in all the places we've visited and it makes for a great nights rest - plus helps work off the gelato we've enjoyed. It's cooler here in Venice so we've reacquainted ourselves with socks and long pants (not used much to this point). We will likely need them as we move on Paris and London as well. We have brief stops in those two cities and then it will be time to head home. Our journey is not quite over so stay tuned and we will update at least once more. Ciao!