Today was a great adventure..... By boat both private reserved and public as well as local bus , we had different layers of arranging transportation because of churning seas and a one day train strike . We left Viareggio for Le Spezia the beginning point of our adventure.
The Cinque Terre is a group of 5 villages that can be reached ONLY by boat. The weather was predicting rain at some early point but when the guide checked in with the boat company they said that forecast expired and things were good. And so they were but cancel my future boat cruise.
The water in the harbor was calm and then when we hit the open waters it was an adventure. Luckily we survived and once we got off the boat things were great! We suffered no effects but there 2-3 members who were chewing gum , sitting below and closing their eyes .
Even though neither rains nor clouds appeared , the water turned nasty and the guide made arrangements to take a local bus to meet our bus driver down the road always. It would have been scary and with some of the people feeling every splash she opted for a change. Whitney is great!
After leaving there we proceeded to Florence. We are at the Westin Excelsior Florence.
Every time we went into a hotel we said, "Ken lives in these 5 star ritzy confines every time he travels. " so how many soaps, and pairs of shower slippers do you have in your bathroom, Ken?"
We have a new addition since we arrived .... No we didn't adopt a gypsy girl..... We had to buy another suitcase. Oh well, you can only catch these real bargains and not imitations once in my lifetime. Ha ha got to get them home also.
This is fashion week in Florence so the entire hotel is filled and the parking lot is filled with Maserati's, audi's and the like. The people coming out of the cars are like fashion models. I am sure they are not confusing my fashionable wardrobe with the up and coming. Interesting to watch.
We ate at a fabulous cafe and the food is excellent.
Walked and walked and walked and it is 9 o'clock and it is still light. Makes for long days and short nights. Some scenes of the day.
Tomorrow is Florence and Academia...... Art history presentation...and ultimately a reservation to see David.
So we are going to bye bye land. Lot of road travel at least 3-4 hours and lots of walking after with more on the way. The weather had been absolutely beautiful.
Ciao.
The villages are interesting but because of how you get there they would never be my favorite vacation spot. The scenic view was beautiful.
Ha ha... Well I hope you ditched the hotel soaps and slippers to make room for the real souvenirs! Did you get any pictures of the glitz of fashion week? I'm sure some of them must be staying at your 5-star property. I'm glad you are still eating along the way and hopefully having some wine too! - Love, Ken
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the rough waters...very glad you survived....I am sure that you are making the most out of those few hours of sleep....these tours keep you moving!
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