We boarded our cruise ship, Norwegian Spirit, at Civitavecchia with minimum fuss and set about putting our complimentary drinks package into operation. This was probably a good idea as the captain advised that we would set sail under gale force winds. Having bought bargain basement tickets, our cabin was at the very front of the ship, the place where sea swell is felt most. We quickly fell into a deep sleep, surprised to wake next morning to calm seas, having sl...

Why on earth did we book a flight with a 2:30 am departure time? We boarded bleary eyed and lighted headed from lack of sleep (you know us - early to bed people), but once on the plane and the cabin doors closed on a near empty cabin, our joy knew no bounds. I staked my claim on an entire row of four seats, lifted the arm rests and slept fully reclined without having to pay a business class fare. Now that’s why a 2:300 am flight is a good idea - no one else ta...

Yesterday we made our final hike to the Firenze train station, bid farewell to the city that had been a perfect home to us for the past month and arrived safely in Milan. Our hotel in Milan was close to the station, so we wasted no time in depositing our bags and nipped down to the Duomo here, another cathedral with spires and pinnacles soaring into the heavens, and only a mere 2.5 kilometres away. This cathedral took almost six centuries to complete and always r...

Our four weeks in Italy have flown by filled with so much fun and packed with so many sights and sounds and tastes that I wonder how we fit it all in, yet feel so relaxed. Having an apartment as a base has been wonderful and we could not have wished for a better home away from home in a more perfect position. Location! Location! Location! For Reg and Tony it has been the Lorenzo food markets just around the corner. For Molly and me it has been the streets lined w...

With another perfect weather forecast for today our plan was to walk the Cinque Terre trail, but our research said the the trail is closed and not expected to re-open until spring of this year. Feeling a bit down-hearted we made an alternate plan to visit Lucca instead. Turns out we hit gold. Lucca is lovely, especially under a crisp blue winter sky. We caught an early morning train and spent the first part of the day walking along the walls of this beautiful l...