Blogs from Siena, Tuscany, Italy, Europe - page 30

Not only did she complain all the way up that short easy walk, but when she was finished, she *leaned* on the guide, red-faced with exertion, and gave him a piece of her mind in French! which he understood, perfectly. It was a terrific day, including the walk. The roads aren't busy at this time of year, and we saw more motorcycles than cars. For motorcycling, this part of the country rivals anything the Kootenay Valley in B.C. has to offer. There are no straight stretches! Anyway, I want to tell you about the toilet, because it was truly amazing. We wandered around this medieval town that was having a sort of medieval festival with wine tasting and stalls of baking and clowns playing games with the children, and onto a back street and found this ... read more

Margo and I are spending time on our personal pursuits for a good portion of our days here, since she has her research and I am (sort of) learning Italian. I'm attending the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, ScuolaLeonardo and am enjoying it a lot. The classes are well-paced, and our teacher, Julia, very simpatica. We are a mixed group of different ages, professions and personalities, and now that we know each other a little, it's quite fun. Attending a course of some kind when you are travelling is a great way to connect with a place a little more than you would otherwise. The school organizes other activities, at reasonable cost, that we can be part of, like last night's dinner (buona!!!), and this Sunday's trip to the Chianti region, and, lots of free internet time, ... read more

Buongiorno di Nonna Margo, Leslie's language lessons are paying off, at least somewhat. She comes back to the room with lots of information and I ask a question about something, generally using a French pronunciation or word or something and she gets this really baffled look on her face and we both dive into our respective Italian books. However, she is getting more proficient every day and I am getting the benefit of her increased knowledge. At least so far I have not mispronounced "penne" and got myself into some kind of bordello!! Thank God!! Mind you, so far I have also managed to avoid saying "penne" at all, just in case. Now, Santa Catarina's house adjoins the guesthouse we are in. From our balcony, we look directly into the entrance to the various oratories and ... read more

Motorhome News from Europe 16. France/Italy February 2005 St Tropez - St Maxime Frejus - Corniche d'Esterelle - Cannes - Nice - Monaco - MonteCarlo - Menton - Tuscany - Lucca - Pisa - Florence - Siena - Salerno ‘Au revoir,’ France, ‘Buon giorno,’ Italia! The chill of winter was still biting at our bones and we were heading east towards the Italian border along the south of France, hoping, within a matter of a week or two, to reach the warmer climes of Sicily, right down off the toe of Italy. A brief chance then, to ogle briefly at the sights of the Riviera, St Tropez, Ste Maxime Frejus, the Corniche d’Esterelle its red rocks and turquoise sea glowing in the sunshine, and Cannes - incredibly chic against the mountain backdrop, drifting by their sandy ... read more

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