Florence

View of Florence and the Arno River from the Piazzalo Michaelangelo Lookout

Rita and I have had two great days exploring Florence as the weather has been sunny and 24c. You can definitely tell the tourists from the locals. We, the tourists are in short sleeved shirts and the locals are wearing overcoats and scarves. Our apartment is in the heart of Old Town Florence and so most of the major attractions are within 10 minutes of where we live. This is excellent as we now have our own toilet central, if required. We have had a great time walking the City, exploring the markets, viewpoints, piazzas and attractions. I think the pictures explain it better than I can.

Rita sitting on the Brigde of Santa Trinita with Ponte Vicchio Bridge in the background

Closer view of the Ponte Vicchio Bridge that was built in 1345. The shops were origninlly butcher and tannin shops but in the mid 1500's, the ruling Medici family forced them to close due to the sickening smells. Goldsmith shops opened in there place and are still there today.

Geoff getting friendly with one of the locals

The Giotti Bell Tower which has 413 steps to the top for outstanding views of Venice. The cleaning of the exterior marble of the Duomo and Bell Tower is currently underway and is almost finished. The differece is astounding as the grimy, black soot of the city pollution has been removed to reveal all the brilliant colours of the original marble.

The Duomo and the city of Venice with the Tusco Emilian Apennine mountains in the background from the Giotti Bell Tower.

Sunset on the Arno River

From the Hand of God to the Hand of Man

From the natural beauty of the Cinque Terre to the Manmade magnifance of Florence.

Woke up and it was sunny and 23C. Quickly packed, programmed Tom Tom and loaded the car for the two hour drive to Florence. But before we could leave, I had to solve a problem that I had found out about the night before. Apparently cars that do not belong to registered locals cannot go into the Old Town of Florence. The apartment we are staying in is in the heart of Old Town Florence. There are cameras on all roads leading into the Old Town and non registered cars are given a “heafty” fine. The city sends the fine to the car company who then puts it on your credit card. Rita phoned the person who will meet us at the apartment and she confirmed this was the case. She suggested a parking garage just outside of the Old City and we could take a taxi to the apartment. Great, problem solved. Got into the car and headed for Florence. Did not have an exact address for the parking garage but did have the street name. Found the street without a problem but could not find the parking garage. After about 30 minutes of driving in circles, we found another garage and parked the car. We had no idea where we were in relation to our apartment and could not find a taxi. We decided to keep our luggage in the car and programmed the Tom Tom with our apartment address and that we would be walking to our destination. Tom Tom told us it was just over 3km and off we went. Found the apartment without any problems. It’s an amazing building that is over 500 hundred years old. It’s owned by the Ferragamo Corporation (yes, the shoe Ferragamo's) and they have done a wonderful job of refurbishing the building. Our apartment is a loft with an incredible wood beam ceiling.
We got through the briefing and grabbed a taxi to take us to the garage to pick up our luggage and take us back to the apartment. Quickly unpacked, walked around the corner and had a gelato at famous Vivoli’s Gelato (its a hole-in-the-wall place with rude staff but apparently serves the best gelato), brought some groceries as most places are closed on Sunday and went for a walk about before dinner.

I know we will both love Florence but for different reasons; the history for me and the shopping for Rita.

Our Loft Apartment Bedroom

Rita with our prized Vivoli fresh Gelato's

Approaching Duomo Gothic Cathedral. The Dome dominates Florence

Duomo Cathedral and Giotto’s Bell Tower

Hello - this s Rita Speaking #2.....

Cinque Terre - Corniglia

…..we have been traveling now for more than 2 months. We have been to many, many beautiful (and historic cities and ancient villages); we have visited numerous churches, traveled tiny little roads, walked along great beaches, high cliffs, have seen wonderful sunsets, blue skies and rainy days – and still there is more to come. Don’t get me wrong, I like churches, history and old villages - maybe since I grew up in Europe it’s a bit of a different meaning for me. When I hear a church bell ring, it reminds me of my life in Europe, there are churches everywhere and I love the sound of it and I miss it in Vancouver. I miss sitting in the village square having a coffee and a “Blackforest Torte” (a real one..!) This trip is certainly different for me. I enjoy it because I can share it with a very special person who is so “in to it”. Seeing it through Geoff’s eyes is giving me a different perspective of history, of the how and when. But keeping up with Geoff and his list “of must see” is somewhat challenging as well…. But we have adapted a very good strategy, found a good pace that makes us both happy (no, it still does not include lunch).
Knowing that I am most happy in places with water (like Vancouver), I REALLY loved Antibes. What a beautiful place, a lot less “in” than Nice and Cannes - we both enjoyed it very much. I loved the Market Provencal, only 2 minutes from our “home” which offered everything for a good meal. I also managed three runs along the Med Sea and kept thinking how beautiful the colors are, the blues, turquoise and greens – it’s unbelievably beautiful and I had almost forgotten about it. We just finished hiking the Cinque Terre villages and again – it makes us speechless – the beauty of nature! We love it, I love it – that’s what I LOVE!
We had a few rainy days which gave us an opportunity to take it slow….I know, we are on vacation but remember…the “list of must sees” is long and there is exploring on our schedule every day. I was grateful for a little rest. But the weather gave me the chance to finely wear the turtleneck sweater that I bought in a panic in Rouen five week ago! Florence is next and so is….SHOPPING! The “must buy list” is long and we will see how Geoff will do on this excursion….will keep you updated.
“Talk” soon….Rita

Trailblazing the Cinque Terre

Rita basking in the sunshine on the way to Monteroso

First of all I would like to thank Cindy Burr and Mariya Kovalyk for convincing me to include this part of Italy in our itinerary. Both had visited the place this past summer and raved about it on their return. In fact, Cindy gave me her travel book on Italy to check out the region. After reading it, I was so impressed I went out and bought the book.

Cinque Terre means five lands and today’s villages owe their existence to Castle Towers that were erected along the coast as watchtowers to alert Genoa of a sea attack from North African and Turkish pirates. People migrated to these towers for protection and the villages grew up around them. Fishing and vineyards were how the locals made their living prior to tourism. Wine making is still a going concern and there Cinque Terre wines are highly regarded in Italy.

We took the boat to Monterossa, the furthest of the five villages from Portovenre and planned to hike the trail in one day. The boat stops at 4 of the 5 villages (Corniglia does not have sea access) which gave us a chance to see the villages from the sea. The scenery is stunning from the high rugged cliffs that drop straight into the Med to vineyards and farmhouses that seemingly defy gravity by hanging onto sheer rock faces and the natural pine forest covers most of the coastline. After a 65 minute ride we reached our destination

The hike took us a little over 4 hours and it was spectacular. The trail between the first 3 villages is the hardest as it requires hiking up rough, narrow trails which were originally built by the villagers to access their vineyards. However, you are rewarded with majestic scenery of the rugged coastline. The trail between the last 2 villages is more like a walk around Stanley Park as it’s paved and tunneled to protect it from avalanches. We picked up the boat in Riomaggiore, the closest of the villages to Portovenere and headed home for a welcome shower and dinner. We will definitely do more mini hikes in Cinque Terre as you definitely need more than one quick visit to really appreciate each of the unique villages.

Riomaggiore in the morning sun from the boat

Rita on narrow trail between Monteroso and Vernazza

Village of Manarola from the vineyards

Village of Vernazza from the TrailT

Portovenere

Old Town Portovenere and Harbor

We were a bit apprehensive about choosing Portovenere as our base to hike the Cinque Terre but after spending the day exploring the village and going on a wonderful hike, we feel this was definitely the right decision. There is excellent access by boat to all of the 5 villages from here and we will start exploring them tomorrow. Portovenere’s old village is situated between rocky cliffs and the Med with a narrow channel creating a safe harbor. It is definitely the most picturesque village we have visited to date.

The town has been around since Roman times (161AD). However the fort and village had its start in 1113 when it became part of the Genoese state. The main buildings along the harbor were made intentionally tall as they were originally used as part of the defensive wall in medieval times. At the end of town on a rocky peninsula there is a very simple but beautiful church called St. Peters which was built in a Gothic style using black and white marble in 1131. The interior of the church is very stark and your eye immediately goes to the statue of Jesus on the Cross. I felt this was definitely a place to worship God and not the wonders of Man.

After checking out the village, Rita and I went on a warm up 2 hour hike up to an abandoned fort behind the village at the top of the cliffs. It was like the Grouse Grind except there was no beer when we got to the top and no Gondola to take us back down. But the scenery was spectacular. The hike made us very hungry and we had a wonderful dinner of local specialties (Octopus salad, bean soup and spaghetti with pesto) at a small family run restaurant in the Village. Tomorrow it’s hiking the Cinque Terre.

Rita overlooking the Bay of Poets from the Castle


13th Century St. Peter's Church and Medieval Walls

St. Peters Spartan Interior

Rita about 15 minutes into hike overlooking the Castle and St. Peter's Church

Geoff and Rita about half way to the top

Tunnels, Tunnels, Tunnels

Surprise Wind Storm in the Bay of Poets as seen from our Portovenere Apartment Balcony

Woke up for the last time in France and the weather had changed for the worse. The winds were blowing and dark clouds were threatening rain. We were lucky as the weather cleared when we started heading south. We were also very fortunate as most of the journey was on the major highway system and so the journey from Antibes to Portovenere took only about 4 hours. Most of the journey was high in the mountains with the Med below. The scenery was breathtaking when you could see it. Most of the journey was through tunnels. In Italy they go through mountains where in Canada we go around them. I am sure it’s a lot more expensive to build and that is why they have toll highways. For the 4 hour journey it cost us 26 Euro (about $39Cdn). But it was worth it as driving on the smaller highways would have taken us over 6 hours. When we arrived in Portovenere our Tom Tom guided us to our new home for the week and as we were getting a tour of the apartment, a huge wind storm came out of the mountains without warning creating huge problems for the sailboats in the Bay. One boat capsized and two small sailboats were blown into the mussel farms. As quickly as it started it was over and the emergency crews quickly rescued the people in the capsized boat and pulled the two sailboats out into clear waters.

Our apartment is lovely, if you love the 1970’s!!! It’s certainly not the same standard as we had in Antibes. However, it is clean and spacious and has unbelievable views of the Bay of Poets. Tomorrow we will explore the town.

A few minutes after the wind storm everything was back to normal except the sailboats were all in the harbour

Our Living Room in our 2 bedroom apartment. As mentioned, very 1970's but its clean and spacious. Also, the view from the balcony is superb.

Nice is Nice

Rita and Nice Waterfront

For our last day of sightseeing in France, we thought Nice would be nice as it’s only about 20km’s. We knew it was a big city, but had forgotten about heavy traffic and road construction. It took us over an hour of travel time each way but the experience was worth it. Nice used to be Italian until 1860 but as Italy was uniting as one country the people were given a choice of joining France or the new country. They chose France and traded pasta for baguettes. It was also around this time that Nice started to become a major holiday destination for the Brits followed by the Belgians and then the Russians. There is a wonderful 4 mile walkway along the Med called the Promenade des Anglais (walkway of the English). It was created and paid for in 1822 by wealthy English tourists who wanted a safe place to walk and admire the view. It was originally paved in marble so the English would not dirty their shoes or have to smell the fishy gravel. We had a wonderful time strolling the Promenade and exploring the old town. It was a great way to finish as Nice has the flavors of both France and Italy.

Rita heading to a cafe in the Market Square

Rita with fig & Vanilla low calerie gelato’s

This was an amazing candy shop that has been in the same family since it opened in 1820. The interior is the same and some of the confections are original recipes. Glazed fruit is on display in the windows (pineapple, appricots, plums and oranges).

Sea to Sky Highway

St. Paul-de-Vance on top of the hill

The French also have their own version of our Sea to Sky Highway. 20 minutes from leaving the Med you are in a totally different environment of gorges, mountains and pine forests as far as the eye can see. We were headed for the Inland Riviera and a loop that included three wonderful hill towns.

lThe historical village of St-Paul-de-Vence is immacuate and is home to lots of art shops, jewelry stores and restaurants. Its motor coach parking lot had 9 buses. I counted them as we had to park their due to the car parking lots being full. At times the place felt crowded and I could not imagine what it would be like in July and August. However, there are lots of streets and alleyways to move around as well as the ramparts that surround the village. Rita and I managed to move away from the crowds and really enjoyed our time there.

One of the many alleways that hold artisan shops

The next town was called just plain Vence and was much larger and certainly had other interests than tourism to keep it going. Having said that, the old town, which was built in a circle around the old Cathedral, was very interesting and had several squares which were full of outdoor cafés.

One of the many squares with outdoor cafes

Our last stop was the smallest but Tourrettes sur Loup still kept its medieval title of city. It’s positioned on the top of a mountain and has been a defensive fortress for 30 centuries for the Celts, Romans, Barbarians and finally the French in 1387.

Toureletes-sur-loup with surrounding countryside

Geoff taking it to the street

The buildings were built almost on top of each other.

Monaco with Eze on the Side

Rita reading on the balcony waiting for Geoff to get ready

Another hot and sunny day (24c) on the French Riviera (The Brit visitors named it this but the French call the area La Cote d’Azure). Headed for Monaco. It’s actually four distinct areas: Monaco-Ville, Monte Carlo, La Condamine and Fontvieille. Monaco-Ville is the old section and has all the major sights except for the Casino which is in Monte Carlo. La Condamine is the Port area and Fontvieille is a reclaimed area from the sea that was developed in the 1970’s and has mostly apartments, restaurants and a yacht harbor. This place is very crowded, even in the middle of October. We tried all the public parking areas and they were full. We finally found a space in Fontvieille. This ended up being a good thing as it was right next to a park and public toilets which we both rushed to use!! We definitely burnt off the calories as we walked for over 4 hours discovering the delights of this very unique place. What was really amazing is that we had our cheapest cappuccinos in Monaco (1.50 Euros each).

Fontvieille Yacht Harbour from Old Town

Entrance to Old Town Monaco-Ville from Palace Square

Reflection of Casino in Monte Carlo captured inside large reflecting mirror.

On the way back to Antibes we decided to take a detour and visited a small village hanging onto the side of a mountain called Eze-le-Village which we had read about in book that Chris Jones loaned us. These days its total reason for being is tourism, but was once the winter base for the Swedish Royal Family from 1923 – 1953. Today, there Chateau is a high end hotel and the outdoor tearoom terrace offers the most spectacular views. This was where we had our most expensive coffee (6Euros each or $9.00) but worth every penny.

Eze-la-Village Old Town
One of the Medieval Buildings in Eze-la-Village

Geoff and Rita on the terrace of the Teroom at Chateau Eze

View of Chateau Eze and its Tearoom Terrace

Antibes

Rita on the seawall in front of the Antibes Old City Wall and the Old Town in the background

Our location is excellent as it’s on the edge of the old town and so we can easily explore all the historic areas within minutes from our door. We are also just across from the seawall which runs along the coast for miles. Rita and I took off for a 2 ½ hour walk along the seawall to explore the area. We made a side trip up to the lighthouse with its great views and then back down to the water following the trail along the rocky coast below exclusive mansions the locals call the “Bay of Millionaires”
We are very happy with Antibes as it is located between Cannes and Nice, but it’s not as big or as expensive. It’s also feels more relaxed and laid back than either of the other two cities. However, it does boast the biggest yacht harbor and has a special section to handle the “Super Yachts”. Tomorrow we will visit Monaco.

Geoff on Cap d’Antibes hiking trail

Rita relaxing on the rocks on the Cap d'Antibes Trail

"Super Yacht" section at Antibes Yacht Harbor. We have absolutely no concept of the money some people have.