One more day in Rome

Today was mostly a travel day. One last vaporetto ride on the Grand Canal to get to the train station and then a 4-hour train ride to Rome. That last vaporetto ride was tough though. I didn't anticipate being emotional about leaving. I didn't do anything in particular in Venice; I was simply happy there. Having everyone travel by boat instead of car/bus/truck/motorcycle is so much more civilized. And peaceful. I loved it. Then again, I doubt I would be very happy there with the summer crowds. I'm definitely an off-season girl. And it may have been easier if I was leaving for another new adventure. Although one more day in Rome will certainly be fun, it's not new and it will be followed by a day in the air, a day with a neurotic cat (who I miss terribly), and then...work. Two weeks and a couple days away has not made my heart grow fonder of my job. It's not a bad job, but for some reason it makes me feel trapped - that's never going to be a better feeling than the freedom of the road!  Oh well, it was nice to be back in St. Peter's Square tonight. It's so beautiful at night. I haven't decided what to do tomorrow. I need to buy a bag to reduce the weight of my backpack. I'll probably go with something touristy and cheap, but if there's a knockoff purse somewhere that seems big enough for the job....

Here are the views from my Venice hotel room window, some final shots on the canal, St. Peter's from the roof of my hotel, and Pope ice cream!!!!

Venice pics

I don't know if my good camera can come close to doing this place justice, but my iPhone sure as hell can't. But I keep snapping away with it so I have something to share right away. I forgot the thing that allows me to download pics from the camera to the iPad, so you'll just have to visit me when I get home to see the good stuff. I'm also messing up more of the pics with my big head because, in the past, I've gotten some complaints that my pics provide no proof that I was the one on the trip. Sorry!

Who builds a city on water?!

Awesome people, I assume. Venice is amazing!  I absolutely love it. The 3-day vaporetto pass was an excellent investment. I can't get enough of cruising around. I even did a full circuit of one of the lines in the rain and cold Monday night. There's an indoor part of each boat, but what's the fun in that?  I met some nice girls who are studying abroad and freezing to death on that circuit. I'm so jealous of them (not the freezing part - I'm happy that my heavier rain coat had come in handy in the past few days and that when Anne Klein says her coat is waterproof, she freakin means it!). It was supposed to keep raining, at least through this morning, but today was perfect!  Lots of sun, yet still crisp when cruising around on a boat.  I cruised out to Murano around lunchtime after spending the morning at Rialto and San Marco. I went to both in the rain last night, but they were much better in the sun. :)  I also did a lot of wandering through the labyrinth of alleyways and am very, very proud to say I have not yet gotten lost. If you haven't been here, you probably can't imagine how impressive that is. There are some signs but they're cryptic and not predictably placed around the island. I've discovered that the tiny little "WC" signs (for public bathrooms) are a pretty good indication of the direction in which you can find a "major" sight so I think those have done a lot to keep me on track. My feet are killing me again - I had to throw out the gel inserts I got for my boots. Poor little guys were plum wore out. I'd like to get some more, but no luck finding them so far. I plan to go out to one or two of the other islands tomorrow though so that should allow a little extra boat time during which I can sit down if absolutely necessary. And I think I could be perfectly happy cruising up and down the Grand Canal all day!  When I booked 3 nights here, I thought I might do a day trip to Verona, but I can't give up a day on the canal. I'm also a bit gun shy re: the train. I have to take it to Rome on Thursday, but I don't have to tempt fate tomorrow.  In other news, I've sworn off red wine for the duration of my stay in Venice. Based on two experiences, I've concluded that they serve it ice cold here and that's just not working for me. Stuck with Prosecco. Damn. ;)  Pics in next post.

Evening on the Lake

Rain, train, go away

Rain and trains have been the story of the past two days. Floods caused many delays and cancellations throughout Northern Italy yesterday. I ended up spending the night in Genoa because no trains were running between Genoa and Milan. Better luck this morning, though the trains were still way off schedule. I made it to Milan and then took a Swiss train (Swiss trains are so much better than Italian!) to Como. I don't think I was supposed to be on that train, but Como was the first stop so I figured there wasn't much they could do other than kick me off at exactly the place I wanted to be. The conducted definitely seemed displeased with my ticket. He chattered away for a minute in an agitated manner, but when I looked confused and said I don't speak Italian, he sighed loudly and punched my ticket. Whoo hoo!  My hotel is amazing!  I splurged on a lake view room and it's gorgeous. I only wish I could have been here to enjoy the night I paid for yesterday. There's a wee bit of flooding but it's not too disruptive (for those of us without cars) and really just puts my balcony even closer to the lake!  :)  Quick turn around though as I am scheduled to take the train (God help me) to Venice tomorrow.  Flooding in Venice is normal this time of year, but I'm hoping it's not so bad that I can't wander. Fingers crossed!  Ugh, no luck with pics tonight. Sorry!  I'll try to add my Como pics tomorrow. For now, here's a pic of my...what is that, a fainting couch?

Cinque Terre!

Not much to say about where I'm staying (Riomaggiore, the southernmost of the five villages) other than it is stunning. It's also a hell of a workout. As these villages are essentially built into the side of a cliff, there are steep hills and stairs everywhere. I'm definitely getting in better shape (if not losing weight, see pasta and gelato) with all this wandering about. I would never have made it up as many stairs in one shot when I arrived last week as I can now. Still overheating with the effort, though. I have become that person who wears the souvenir t-shirt while still on the vacation in which it was purchased.  I have always mocked such people in DC, but now I am one of them. I just didn't bring enough short-sleeve shirts and I'm certainly not going to buy nice shirts here, so I'm wearing a 5€ Florence shirt today.  I just wish I wasn't hauling around 6 long-sleeve shirts I haven't worn!  That's life.  I've had worse problems.  :) Views from my amazing room....

More pics from Florence walking tour

Plus, the view from my lunch table (guy on horse) and a shot from the Irish pub in which I sought a break from the drizzle.

Walking Tour of Florence

Running low on wifi time so I'll be brief today. Most pics are from the organized walking tour I did this morning.  Great Italian tour guide who has an art history degree, earned in Florence. I had my first - and, hopefully, last - trip mishap on the tour. I stepped into a hole (I didn't see, obviously) at the bottom of some steps and my ankle buckled. No major damage but I think I have a slight sprain. It didn't slow me down today, but we'll see how it feels when I walk to the train station tomorrow with all my stuff strapped to my back. Heading to Cinque Terre in the morning...pray for sun!!!!!

Flo pics - Day 1

I got the gnocchi I've been craving. Delicious!  :)

Florence!

Another easy and pleasant bus ride brought me to Florence just after noon today. The walk to the hotel was only about half a mile. Not overly easy with an overstuffed bag and hordes of people in the street, but not bad. The hotel was easy to find because it's just a block south of the Duomo. I don't have a view from my room, but you can see the Campanile at the end of the alley in front of the hotel.   I have a tour of the Duomo, Accademia, and environs tomorrow morning, so I headed to Oltarno (the other side of the Arno) for lunch. Yummy, as always. I skipped the museums and gardens at Pitti Palace (which I could see from my lunch table) and instead hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo to enjoy the views. Rumor has it that it's going to rain tomorrow so I didn't want to miss the chance to see the city from afar. It was a tough climb - especially because my day bag is always heavier on travel day than on days I can leave stuff in the room (my room wasn't ready so I left my big bag but couldn't lighten the day bag), but well worth it!  Gorgeous views!!!  Resting my feet now because I don't want to be as miserable on tomorrow's tour as I was by the end of the Vatican tour, but I'll go out later for a bit more wandering and some night shots of the sights. To avoid formatting hassles, I add today's few pics to another post. Happy Veterans' Day!  I'm grateful to the many brave souls who made it possible for me to travel safely in Europe.

Siena pics -cont.