I have hardly "scratched the surface" on this city.  There is a lot to learn, see and explore.  I have become pretty proficient getting around with my transit map and my "cheat sheet" from Patrick.  We went out for pizza at a little trattoria that landed here from Italy- yummy.  Melanie is also a journalist... Continue Reading →

This city is amazing.  It is big, but the public transportation makes anywhere just minutes away and the entrances to subways are pretty: I took the hop on hop off bus and it gave me a good overview of the city.  Every time you turn your head there is some architecture, monument, artistic design or beautiful... Continue Reading →

Before I left Bologna I had to have one more tagliatelle bolognese experience----that is why I went there (it was soooo good): I needed to take the train to Rome Termini (main station) to get another train to Ciampino where I will stay overnight and be near the airport for my morning flight to Berlin.  Sounds... Continue Reading →

Jen left for Cleveland on Monday and I took the train to Bologna.  I love this city.  I love that so many buildings have covered archways-- they are everywhere: My room is inside an "honest to God" palace.  I need 5 keys to enter a gate and four doors. When my host, who only speaks... Continue Reading →

This city is so amazing...so beautiful...so big....so little.....so old....so delicious!!!!!  I know I just "feel" different when I am in Rome (this was my third visit) but I couldn't put my finger on why.  Maybe because I had never stayed in an apartment that was a block away from the Colosseum.  The answer came to... Continue Reading →

Wednesday morning I made my way to the market to purchase the food I needed to make dinner for us and the Kent State girls. I planned to make salami and cheese, a Caprese salad (copied from last night), spaghetti carbonara, steak, and broccoli. Jen and I spent the morning exploring the Uffizi museum and... Continue Reading →

We woke up Sunday on our entrance to Venice to find out we were encased in fog.  Nothing moving but the fog horn.  We were anchored outside the harbor and not going anywhere soon.  It took about 6 hours for the fog to lift and we had a window of time to get into the... Continue Reading →

After a day at sea (meaning in the spa), we sailed overnight thru the Ionian and Adriatic seas to wake up in Split.  Our stateroom porter has been leaving us towel animals with one of the best: a monkey/sloth The old city was a palace/town/fortification years ago.  Today, it is more like a walled city... Continue Reading →

I will remember this day for the rest of my life.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to see great sites and "jaw-dropping" places and nothing compares with what was started over 2500 years ago and stands still to this day in this city.  From most vantage points in the city you can see the... Continue Reading →

What a surprise to wake up in a lovely bay with mountains on both sides of the ship.  I mean BIG mountains.  The geography makes this a magical place.  We got off the boat and took the local bus for a ride to some other towns along the bay: They built the big dock for cruise... Continue Reading →