Good Bye for Now!

Today was the last day for my trip and I can't believe it! The time just flew by. I managed to get to Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace today. It was so spectacular. It had its own grotto! Of course, Bacchus was there to remind everyone to have fun and drink more wine. The weather has been gorgeous every day and today was no exception. As you Floridians well know, hot day makes for a beautiful sunset so I went to Piazzale Michelangelo to see the sunset. So, as I say good bye to new friends, to Florence and Italy, I will say, Arrivederci and good night! See you soon.

Love,

Kerry

Today was a terrific day in Tuscany and I decided to take a bike tour. It was just 6 people including the guide and the van followed us. We met near the river and were driven to the garage with the bikes were waiting. Everyone was given a helmet and a water bottle to keep. WE started off on some beautiful back country roads that wove through olive trees and grape vineyards. The vistas were amazing. The hills were challenging (read this as I had to get off my bike and walk on a few of them and even took the van once), but I did make it with the help of the real bike riders in the group. (read this as EVERYONE else!) It was a fabulous ride. We ended up at an 12th century villa called Torre a Cona. Everybody went swimming in the pool before lunch. We had a wonderful lunch complete with 3 different kinds of wine and a digestive called Grappa. I had a little of each. The lunch was salads, eggplant, baba ganesh, barley with tomatoes and pesto and a great ricotta with pine nuts. A vegetarian's dream. Then we took a tour of the winery and they showed us how they make olive oil too. It is still done with non mechanical tools. Then we took the trip down the hills. This was an exhilarating fast paced ride at breakneck speed at times. I paid my dues and had a slight mishap! Mouthfuls of dirt didn't stop me. I finally made it back and if I am still alive tomorrow I may go see a Medieval city called Lucca.
Hope all is well with you and I am looking forward to sharing all the photos soon.

Love,
Kerry

PS the Giro d' Italia!

So here I am ready for the race in Florence! This is like the Tour du' France. Italians really get into the competition with parades, throwing hats, banners, pompoms and the like. Here I am with the hats on just before the race begins.

Here is the finish line! Waiting for the cyclists. They announce how many kilometers away they are as they approach the park and it is very exciting. I stood about 200 meters away from the finish line, where the VIP's sit.

So here they come. I saw Lance Armstrong, but got a picture of his team member. Team Astanza. I saw the bus afterwards. Very cool. They go by about 40 MPH! fast......

Ater the race, Lance pulled up in his Lamberghini and invited me to party with the team, which is where I am going now. So, Ciao!

Michelangelo - One of the big reasons I came here!

Hi,



I had a Michelangelo sort of day. I went to see the David and it was immense! The detail in the marble is extraordinary. You can see the veins in his hands and feet. hey, I got to see a man naked, and what a perfect specimen!






























At thePiazza del Duomo, There are four buildings: The Duomo with the cupola and of course I climbed the 450+ steps to reach to top. the view was sensational. The other buildings are the Cathedral, the Bapistry and the Campanile. They had beautiful artwork both inside and out. They are carved out of white, green and red marble and clay.

The last stop of the day was at the Museo delOpera which houses the Pieta. The details in the faces are extraordinary. I adore Michelangelo's sculpting and could stay here at least another year to see and enjoy it all.

I am off to see if I can view the end of the 13th stage of the Giro d' Italia and hopefully catch a glimpse of the winner (hopefully), Lance Armstrong. If I get a photo, I will post it tomorrow.

Bye,

Kerry

Hi Gang! I arrived late last night to some spartan digs, which were great! I think I will enjoy Florence.

Ok, so here is the amazing picture from yesterday, and the Leaning Tower is not so bad either!

Florence is very green and cooler than Rome.

This is a medieval church dating back to the 11th century.

And here is Ponte Vecchio over the Arno river in the early morning.

Catch you all later.

Kerry

PISA and the Leaning Tower

I took the hydrofoil out of Capri this morning and made it to Naples by the skin of my teeth. Took a hurtling ride to the train station through Naples traffic, an experience I really don't want to repeat. I made it to the train with a minute to spare only to find that the train was delayed. Eventually, I found myself in a terric room with closed doors and I thought, this is kind of cool, only to find out that I was in 2nd class, not 1st. I found the right car and continued on to Pisa. I locked my baggage in a secure place and shared a cab with some people from SanFran and proceed to the square. The Tower does lean! Honest. It was amazing in white marble. I also went to the Duomo and the Bapistry. I photographed all, but you will have to wait until tomorrow when I can find an Internet place with a USB port. Arrived in Florence, staying in a 15th century monastary and the room is small enough to figure a monk lived here. The bathroom actually has toilets that flip up to allow passage to the shower. Interesting. Near the Medici palace and will write more tomorrow, with pix. Love to all,
Kerry

Capri Town is built on the top of the world!

Today was a day for walking and swimming and more walking and lots of opportunities for photos. I walked down the Phonecian steps which connect Anacapri, on the west of the island, to Capri on the opposite side. They are amazing and lead to spectacular views.

Next I walked to the South east tip of the Island where the Farigioli Rocks are located and they are really amazing, maybe 200' high and in the middle of the blue sea.

Next I walked to Arco Naturale which as the name implies is a natural Arch of rocks with a great view of the sea. Afterward, I had gelato and sat for a while. It was about 90 today and I am definitely sporting a tan!

Finally, I took a swim and just in case you thought I was copying pictures off the net, here I am after swimming. The water is clear and cool. Great for swimming and you are so bouyant as the water is heavier than the Atlantic that we are used to.

Tomorrow I am off to Naples to catch the train into Pisa and Florence. Catch you then!

Ciao,

K

Is there a place higher than the sky? I am there!

What a gorgeous day! The sky is blue and I took the hydrofoil from Amalfi to Capri. Capri is a tourist town and the buses are even more packed than in Amalfi. When I arrived in Anacapri, which is a small town on the west side of the island, I was met my Costanza and his pregnant wife of 6 months. The Bed and Breakfast is on the top of the island among beautiful plants, trees and of course vistas. I got settled and then walked to the Blue grotto. You go on a little rowboat lying flat on the bottom and the guide pulls you into the grotto with a chain. The water is sun drenched and blue as sapphires.

After, I took a chairlift to the top of the Island where you can see everything. It took about 12 minutes to go up and hours to appreciate it, then chair lift down. Next I went to the Villa San Michele and walked again to a vista point. Of course, as soon as you see the Mediterranean, it is the vista. Wonderful day! Ciao.

The Wild Side of Amalfi!

I left this morning taking a walk on the wild side. I walked to Amalfi and then took a boat to the Emerald Grotto. It was a beautiful day, clearing the haze that has hung over the water since I arrived in Amalfi. The coast line with its cliff faced houses and walkways were quite apparent. The grotto itself was largely disappointing for photo taking, but the water was shining green and stalactites and stalagmites were beautiful. We had to be transfered to another boat in the grotto and the guide asked if he could come to my hotel tonight. To be continued.....










I walked up to the sheer cliffs and into the scarred landscape near Furore, where the sun is hot and there is not way but down. Which I walked and then again and again. I was so glad to see the hotel and take a shower as I had been walking for about 4 hours. But it is gorgeous. I bid arrivederci to Amalfi because I am going to Capri tomorrow. Bouna notte!

Minori

There is a small town close to Ravella where time stands still. It is called Minori. I took the old antique steps down nearly 1500 feet to the sea where Minori stands. It is a quaint hamlet with lemon and olive groves and a church in the middle of the hill. The views are spectacular! I have not been able to see the Emerald Grotto yet, as the waves have been to high and they have closed it. Perhaps tomorrow, my last day here in Amalfi before I go to Capri.

The Cliffs! and the View!

Today I started in central Amalfi and looked for a boat to take me to the Esmeraldo grotto, but alas, the sea was too rough, so I started climbing. Each of the communities here on the coast are connected by ancient stairways and corridors that everyone uses to walk from place to place. This way you don't have to go on the windy road full of people, and traffic.It is amazing how far you can walk. I saw lemon groves, olive trees, house carved right into the side of the cliff. I walked to Altrani, met the Luigi brothers and walked straight up to a Villa 2000 feet in the clouds.Then, after I rested, I walked back down again. I think I covered about 8 miles. Thank goodness for stairmaster! Tomorrow I will go to Mirori.

Pompei and Amalfi

I started the day early and took the train to Pompei as I bid goodbye to Roma. Pompei was built in the 2nd century BC and then when Vesuvius erupted in79 AD it was covered and buried in ash and lava.

Then I took a bus to Amalfi which is hairpin turns and heart stopping views. Lemon and orange groves with beautiful vistas at every turn. My room has a view of the water and a terrace. Molto Bene!! Tomorrow I will be hiking to Amalfi and beyond.

Ruined cities of Rome

Well, today is my last day in Rome, so I decided to go see the ruins. I took a train out of town to where the wealthy Romans went, Ostia Antica, a city built in Hadrian's time. It was huge in its time, it had 50,000 people living there. So when you look at the pictures, you can imagine what it looked like nearly 1800 years ago. The top picture is the ampitheater and the bottom are the city walls.

Next I went to Caracalla's Baths, which are immense. The walls were tremendous in size and there was a pool for the bathers with a gym, changing rooms and a room to just relax. The pool was olympic size!

These are the walls:

This is the pool!

As I entered both sites, there were thousands of kids on their last trip for the school year. Makes me yearn for the days when we went to Universal (NOT!)

Well, tomorrow I am off to Pompei and Amalfi. More from there. Love to all of you.

K

The Vatican in 4 hours!

Lots of walking in the Vatican Museums. Miles of them, in fact.

I did manage to stop and smell the flowers. The cupola is the dome inside of St. Peter's.

St. Peter's square is so immense it will not fit in a single picture, except from the air. Bernini's obelisk stands in the center.

Of course, my favorite sculpture was the Pieta in ST. Peters.

I finished the day looking at Hadrian's Castel St. Angel Which was very impressive.

Well, that is it for today.

Ciao