Day 189: Healing Meditteranean

Best Moments:
1. Escaping the city to see a typical Tuscan Town
2. Enjoying Tuscan wine
3. Getting some fresh air
4. Eating freshly caught seafood from the Mediterranean
5. Drinking a lot of wine at dinner and having a good time
6. Sharing inside jokes with friends
7. Going for what started to be a late night wade in the Mediterranean to a late night swim in the Mediterranean
8. Truly feeling like I was part of something
9. Skipping rocks in the Mediterranean
10. Realizing that I need to live closer to the ocean

Flickr Set of Images

Day 188: Exploration

Best Moments
1. Transportation strike day in Italy
2. Easy access to the Vatican
3. Seeing the School of Athens
4. Understanding that great works like the Sistine Chapel would be best viewed alone
5. Taking a cab through Rome
6. Shopping on the streets of Rome
7. Spending time with good company

Flickr Set of Images

Day 187: Becoming a Roman

Best Moments
1. Finally getting to try zucchini flowers (and it is really good on pizza)
2. Feeling like a Roman with our guide Francesca's detailed explanations that involved all senses
3. Feeling a connection to Francesca because of the energy and emotion she put into our tour
4. Enjoying a wonderful meal of a salad with pine nuts, parmesean, and balsamic vinegar and a cremini pasta near the Pantheon with good company
5. Meeting a mother and son and being amazed at how cultured and respectful the sixth grade boy was
6. Going for an evening walk through Rome 
7. Making my wishes at the Trevi fountain
8. Enjoying gelato in Italy
9. Rene always showing up at just the right moment

Flickr Set of Images

Day 186: A View from Above

Best Moments
1. Climbing to the top of Il Duomo and seeing Florence from the best view, above
2. Participating in a balsamic vinegar tasting and realizing that what we have at home is crap
3. Visiting St. Croce church
4. Going to the Uffizi gallery and seeing so many masterpieces
5. Taking in all of the Botticelli's and buying a poster that captures them all
6. Another evening stroll through Florence 

Flickr Set of Images

Day 185: David

Best Moments
1. Finally finding some perfume in Florence after searching everywhere
2. Seeing the David in person and understanding why it is so famous
3. Dinner together with great wine and amazing gnocchi in a white sauce (the next thing I am going to try to make)
4. Night stroll to the highest point in Florence (Piazzale Michelangelo)
5. Looking over Florence in the moonlight

Flickr Set of Images

Day 184: Ciccheti, Gondolas, and Acqua Alta

Best Moments
1. Morning walk with Elizabeta, our local guide
2. Going to a mask shop to see how the masks are made
3. Riding the Vaporetto out to the islands
4. Crossing the Bridge of Sighs
5. Visiting my old neighborhood and buying a poster (which I ended up losing)
6. Searching for ciccheti with Rick and Lynette 
7. Enjoying the process of ordering the ciccheti and finding new ways to fix common foods (green beans with tomato sauce)
8. Eating something I wouldn't normally go for (baccala)
9. Changing my mind to ride the gondola afterall because I wanted to be with the group
10. The moment on our gondola ride when all four of our boats came together on the grand canal under the moonlight with music filling the air
11. Returning to Max's during acqua alta
12. Drinking the best Bellini I've ever had (fresh peach juice)
13. Sipping on lemoncello while the water level rises
14. Making the most of a Venice night

Flickr Set of Images

Day 183: Unforgettable Venice

Best Moments
1. Pizza together in small Tirolean Village and only 1 Euro wine
2. Dinner together with unlimited wine and wonderful clam pasta
3. Italy vs. Spain game and watching the faces in the crowd
4. Drinking aperol and spritz
5. Jennifer taking us to the local hangout for guides in San Marco and meeting Max

Flickr Set of Images