May 20, 21, 2008 RAGUSA, Sicily / MALTA Today was a short drive from Taormina to Ragusa in the very south of Sicily. This is another very nice drive through some beautiful scenery through the mountains valleys and lots and lots of seascapes from the high freeway. This is an interesting grain farming area with vineyards and fruit growing areas. In Ragusa there is not a lot to do but we took a walk to visit a local botanical garden and of course another large “Duomo” church. Wednesday morning we got an early start to catch the ferry to Malta from Pozzallo. This was a very comfortable 90 min. ferry trip on a new, fast, catamaran. B.C. Ferries could learn a lot from these guys. Malta is pretty small so we organized a day excursion through ... read more

May 17 , 2008 Amantea, Italy We drove down from Sorrento to southern Italy and spent one night in a small beach town called Amantea on the south west coast. This is a very nice part of the country and is getting better known for the beaches and great weather. We had a nice hotel on the beach a little ways from the main town and enjoyed the peace and quiet and a beautiful sunset over the ocean. This would not be a hard place to come back to for a week or so. The drive is easy on very good roads ( a bit of construction but well managed ). You would not believe the number ( and length ) of the tunnels built through the mountains. It really is amazing and it really straightens ... read more

May 14, 2008 Orvieto, Italy This morning we drove from Livorno, after a quiet evening and night aboard the ferry from Sardinia, to Orvieto, Italy. Orvieto is a very interesting hilltop city that has been occupied for thousands of years. The city is home to a very famous cathedreal, and an important example of neo-gothic architecture, that is the highlite of the city. The city has buildings from midevial times as well as ruins from much older times. Old Orvieto was saved from bombing in the second world war because of the Cathedral but all the newer areas surrounding the old city were completely destroyed. The city is built on a hilltop and under the city are thousands of caves dug into the soft volcanic ash that forms the base for the city. Tunnelling and more ... read more

May 8, 9, 10, 2008 FLORENCE, Italy Thursday morning we left Milan for the ½ day drive to Florence. ( Firenze ). Again a great, easy drive on a good highway through the beautiful Italian countryside. As this is a main road in Italy there is a lot of traffic but for the most part civilized drivers and an easy trip. We stopped along the way for lunch and to visit another “ Outlet Shopping Center” a short distance from Florence. They don't seem to get the concept yet as the pricing is not great and selection isn't much better. Our very good hotel in Florence ( The A.C. Firenze, with free mini bar. That's a new one !! Great idea !!! ) is on a new road and that caused some frustration as it is ... read more

May 3 - 5, 2008 NICE, France Sunday is a quiet day in Nice as a lot of the stores close for the day. We have been very lucky with the weather and today was another beautiful spring day. To keep up the tradition we took the “Hop On - Hop Off “ bus to get another look at the whole city. This is a very good tour in Nice and a great way to get some sun in the open top bus and visit the most important places. The beaches were very busy with locals and Tourists. ( a lot from The U.K. ). The beach is not great here as it is not sandy ( pebbles ) but the sun was great and the water is blue and a few were taking a dip. ... read more