Monday, 30 April 2012
Dijon and Beaune bike ride
Our introduction to France has been a 27 km bike ride through Beune and the vineyards of Burgandy followed by a wine tasting of the local wines and a very wicked and delicious local liqueur known as creme de cassis.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Those wurstlein sure smell good
He is actually wearing a barrel of (whiskey?) around his neck but nothing would induce him to take his eyes off the wurst on the grill.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Cinque Terre walking from Vernazza to Monterosso
The final section of the walk from Vernazza to Monterosso was the hardest. but the sun was warm and a glass of red and a plate of pasta sitting by the harbour in the afternoon sun at Monterosso awaited.
Walking into Corniglia on the Cinque Terre
Wonderful hot sunny day for walking the Cinque Terre. After the mud slides of last October some of the coastal sections of the Cinque Terre were closed but we were able to do a wonderful section of the walk by taking a tiny bus from Manarola up to Volastra and walking along the hill tops and down into Corniglia.
Old city walls and Boboli Gardens
Florence is a very beautiful and fascinating city. We loved the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens and the bridges and piazzas and ...
Friday, 20 April 2012
Not the real David
We did go and see the real David but you aren't allowed to photograph him. You can however sit and admire his rear end for hours in the accadenia. Florence was amazing.
Garden of our apartment in Lucca
We stayed in apartments in the old city of Lucca within the walls where we could do our own cooking and on one evening take part in a Tuscan cooking course.. We made and ate a local salad, pork ragout, hand made tortellini and pannecotta. We also did day trips to Florence and Pisa, rode down to the Serrchio River and tried out the local cafes for the best coffee.
Bike riding on the walls of Lucca
From Assisi and back to Rome to our Intrepid trip Rome to Paris. First stop 4 days in lovely Lucca a medieval walled city in Tuscany. Originally a Roman garrison the wooden walls were replaced with increasingly sturdy defensive walls unti in the medieval period the walls were fortified so that now you can drive and walk along the top of their very wide 4 km perimeter.
Beautiful Assisi
Spring in Umbria is beautiful. Soft green rolling hills, the soft and bright greens of new foliage, the divine and surprising splashes of colour as flowers burst into bloom and the backdrop of the still white snow dusted Appenine mountains. But the jewel is the lovely town of Assisi. Soft white stone, meandering paved lanes and the winsome but pervasive presence everywhere of St Francis and St Clair who gave up their worldly possessions to follow the call of Jesus.
Our little Fiat 500
Safely at Piano del pieve in our little Fiat 500. We braved the autostrada from Rome airport to drive 2 1/2 hours into Umbria to our accomodation 5 km outside Assisi.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Bread & circuses
Every Roman had a ticket for the Colosseum that guaranteed them a seat for the whole of the festival of games which could last for up to 100 days at a time - rich poor slave free even women. Although the slaves and the women had to sit right at the very top on precarious wooden stands. Free bread was served every morning but the best gladiatorial fights were held in the afternoon. Unfortunately your ticket only allowed one entry per day so if you wanted both bread and fights you had to stay all day. The photo shows a reconstruction of part of what would have been the entire floor of the arena and which was covered with sand to absorb the blood of tha animals and dead and injured fighters. Public executions happened at lunchtime. There were many lifts which brought the animals ( like tigers, lions and bears) up from the chambers below directly onto the surface of the arena through trapdoors. The whole set up was massive propaganda for the emperors to keep the people compliant, to reinforce and laud the might of Rome and as a not so subtle reminder that rebellion and antisocial behaviour would bring down the wrath of Rome - hence the public executions - the event was likened to a Super Bowl or FA cup game in terms of spectacle and crowd manipulation with the goal of distracting the masses from the act ions of their rulers and the state of the nation.
Rome on 2 wheels Sunday 8 April
We had the best time riding around Rome on bikes for 4hours. Emmanuelle was a fabulous guide who gave an entertaining running historical/political/social commentary on the major and the less well known sights of Rome. We were exhausted and delighted at the end.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Easter Saturday
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Backstreets of Rome
The grand monuments, statues and historic sights of Rome are spectacular but I am loving the cobbled backstreets, weathered stone facades, shutters, doorways and secret alleyways with hidden cafes and (wine bars) to chance upon. Tonight we will try 313 Cavour a little wine bar 2 or 3 doors away which gets rave reviews.
St Peter's Basilica April 2012
Sadly this is as close as we got to the Vatican Caught the metro brilliantly but got a bit lost on the way to the meeting place for the Vatican tour. Missed the tour by 10 minutes!!! Now trying to reschedule - but couldn't ring the tour company because no SIM yet arranged and wifi did not work even in McDonalds. Spent the rest of the morning sorting that out and practising our pathetic Italian on various shop keepers.