23/8/15
Back again.
We're a week into our Italy tour and I can barely remember places as we are so busy zooming about from historical places to the next.
Absolutely amazing.
I didn't like the Sistine Chapel as much as I'd expected. Too much of clashing pictures and colours. But impressive!
And St Peter's was BIG, and full of the usual Chapels, Statues, pictures etc, but every Church and Cathedral here is too! They are all WOW!
We moved on to Pisa, the tower was shorter than I remembered , at 8 stories high, only a bit taller than the Cathedral next to it.
It cost too much to climb it, plus the queue was lengthy so just looked at it!
We then hit Florence, more buildings to admire, then a lengthy shopping session buying Courtney a leather jacket. Chelsea also purchased one too.
The next day we had a day at Cinque Terre, but the crowds were disastrous so we missed a train, so couldn't see the 5 villages as planned, just 3 in the end and a quick swim.
We stayed overnight in Genoa which I knew of as a port but it's got a great historical centre, with city walls, gates, Palaces++, Opera House, amazing gaudy Cathedral etc.
then off to a Lake ( Maggiore) next to Lake Como. We stayed in a posh hotel right on the lake, with 2 pools. It would have been nice to have sat around there, but no off to Switzerland for the day we went. It was ok, but not 'pretty houses or cows with bells' etc. a pity as it's all Chelsea is seeing of Switzerland.
We took a cable car up a mountain and walked through the forest, scaring a deer along the way!
Back to the lake, then Milan. More opera houses ( did a tour of Le Scala) castles, Cathedral, palaces.
Today we went to Verona, seeing Romeo then Juliet's houses. ( along with 1/2 of Italy's population)
There was a great colosseum there too used as a theatre still. Another castle!
More posh name brand shops!

Each city is different despite having a 1000-2000 yr old historical centre, many with Roman forums, baths etc, often with Greek influences.

We're back in Venice tomorrow, with dodgy weather expected.

30/8/15

We exhausted ourselves in Venice, with shopping lists to tick off. It didn't rain in the end luckily. I nipped back into St Paul's Cathedral for a better look at the mosaics.

We then headed south seeing great places of which Assisi was a stand out. Then past Rome to Naples and a very hot look at the Pompeii ruins. We stayed at a nice touristy seaside town and the next day instead of a boat ride to Capri Is and a look around we went back to Naples and got a bus up the Mt then climbed up to the crater top of Versuvius. We also went to a fabulous ' virtual museum' which has light displays showing ruins of today and how it was back before the eruption. Then a car- sick drive to the Almalfi Coast. It's so photogenic , better than Cinque Terre even, but VERY Expensive. Off then for Rome, quick trip to Basilica of St Paul ( wonderful) then a repack to get an early flight to Munich. I start my next tour here on Wednesday so thought 3 days looking about would be good.

We had some problems getting into the city then finding the hotel but finally made it, then had a mad rush to join a walking tour of the city centre which was good. It's HOT here again so hard to be keen on walking miles. My room has a microwave and fridge so we had a home cooked meal last night ( heated up frozen meals- it was lovely) and fresh blueberries and raspberries today. Yumm. We've just been on a 5 hr tour to Dachau Concentration Camp. Wonderful guide, learnt lots, saw sad stuff, sadder still to think similar things are happening even now around the world. It is compulsory for all school children in Germany to go to a camp in their school years. It is illegal here to deny the Holocost happened, or that 6 million Jews didn't die, or to wear Neo-Nazi regalia, or to perform a Nazi salute ( even when drunk at Octoberfest). All have prison sentences or if you are lucky a massive fine.
Everything shut on a Sunday so off to the biggest Central Park in the world.
Chelsea goes home on Tuesday, so I'll be alone again. Boo hoo. It's been wonderful travelling with her. Thanks darling for coming.
Carol.