I have been wanting to do the trek through the Cinque Terre for years ... ever since I saw Valerie Pringle Has Left the Building and she effortlessly goes from little village to little village without a hair out of place. Ahem ... great editing! I had originally wanted to do this excursion on the 23rd. When I was looking at the train situation, I was getting better options for today so I changed my plans. I wasn't super in the mood to be doing it a day earlier but better trains, better day. I rarely change my plans ... it's almost like a superstition and I should have listened to that little voice inside my head. Even why I got up this morning, it took me a while to get excited about heading out there. ... read more

You are wondering about that last one, aren't you? You'll see ... there's a logical explanation ... somewhat. The first stop of the day was the Basilica San Lorenzo. This was not originally on my list of things to visit specifically ... walking by it ... yes ... but not necessarily going in. The reason that it was added as a must-do was because of the Michelangelo - Architecto exhibit that I saw in Milan. He designed the adjoining Biblioteca, the facade and the new sacristy. I had actually walked by this church when I had popped into the Mercato Centrale and it had not jumped out at me. Turns out that the facade that Michelangelo designed was never built. What? I saw drawings upon drawings and multiple scale models and they never got around to ... read more

The day started with my half-hearted attempt at seeing Michelangelo's David at the Gallery dell'Accademia. There is a part of me that wants to see the real thing but there is another part of me that doesn't care enough to want to go through the hassle of dealing with the tourists. Have I mentioned how crazy they are? Insane ... they are insane. So I went by the museum, I saw the lines and just kept on walking. I did not realize that Florence was a stop for many cruise ships so the numbers of groups seems to be just out of this world. And you can pick them out easily ... they all have numbered stickers on their chest and are following a lady holding up an umbrella (or a flower, a flag, a paddle ... read more

I thought that I would just do one post for the three days that I just spent in Bologna. There is actually not all that much to do so three days was probably a bit of overkill. In the end, I still managed to fill my day and I certainly did not get bored. It also gave me time to just hang out in the park, read and give myself a much need pedicure/facial!! I also re-read the blog postings that I have done so far. I am starting to realize that I will clearly remember something but I can never seem to remember in what city I was in. It was to be expected I guess!! I arrived on Saturday the 14th and after checking in and unpacking made my way out the door. I ... read more

I am so glad that I decided on spending four days here in Venice. There is just so much to see! My first stop would be the Peggy Gugenheim Museum. Peggy Gugenheim came from a wealthy family (her father perished during the sinking of the Titanic) and she was a vervent art collector. An American, she eventually bought a home in Venice. This home was donated (as well as her vast collection of art pieces) so that a museum could be created. Her ashes are actually buried in the garden of the home as her dogs. There is a sign that says "here lies my beloved babies" which include Cappucino, Emily and Baby. There are photos of Peggy Gugenheim in her home surrounded by the artworks that are now displayed in the museum. There are original ... read more