Day #261 - Vatican City

Roman Colisseum

St. Peter's Square

Papal altar - St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica

Vatican Museum

Tuesday, November 30th

Today we went to a different country - the Vatican City. We got up and took the metro across the river to the Vatican. We met up with our group around 9am for our 3-1/2 hour morning tour.

We started out at the Vatican Museum. We were first told the story of the Sistine Chapel - as group's are not able to take pictures or communicate while in the Chapel itself. Michelangelo began painting the Sistine Chapel in 1508 - at the age of 33. It took him 4 years to paint the ceiling and 5 years to paint the Judgment Day Wall. This guy was truly amazing - he even lived to the age of 89. His last work was the design of the dome on St. Peter's Basilica. He was a sculpture (David Statue in Florence), an artist (Sistine Chapel in Rome), and an architect (Dome of St. Peter's Basilica).

We spent about an hour walking through several of the different rooms of the Vatican Museum: the 10,000 Statues, the Tapestries, and the Maps. A couple interesting points - the satues were once colored and have since faded, and there have been fig leaves added for coverage on the statues per the request of the pope.

We next entered the Sistine Chapel and spent about 30 minutes gazing at the ceiling and the astonishing detail of Michelangelo's masterpiece. The Sistine Chapel is where the popes have their conclave to determine the next pope. A temporary flume is run up to one of the windows where white smoke will indicate the selection of the new leader of the Catholic Church. There has been 265 popes - the first one being St. Peter. In my lifetime, there's been 4 popes: Paul VI (63-78), John Paul I (78), John Paul II (78-05), Benedict XVI (05-present).

We next walked down into the catacombs where the popes are buried. This place was special. We walked past John Paul II and St. Peter. The catacombs are directly under St. Peter's Basilica. You could look up through these holes in the ceiling and visualize the people walking on the floor of the Basilica. St. Peter is buried directly under the Papal Altar.

After leaving the catacombs, we walked out to the front of St. Peter's Basilica and looked into the Square. We then spent about an hour walking through the Basilica itself. Wow! I've seen a number of churches, synagogues, mosques, etc on my trip throughout Europe. This place was the best of the best -- by far. As our guide described, you can't even realize the size and unbelievable detail here. The letters running across the very top of the dome are 6-1/2 ft in height. They look like small letters - unreal. She said: "Just picture Kobi Bryant up there".

We finished up the tour by walking out into St. Peter's Square. We saw the two sets of colums that are said to wrap around the people inviting them into the church. There are 140 statues of famous saints towering over the columns. 150,000 people can fit in St. Peter's Square. We learned that the Pope comes out 2 days during the week. On Sundays, he waves from the 2nd window from the right on the top level of his residence building. He also comes out for a blessing at 10:30am on Wednesday mornings in front of the Basilica (Kay & I are going to come back tomorrow for this). The Pope says mass in the Basilica on special occasions only: Easter, Christmas, New Year's Day. He also will come out on the balcony in the middle of the Basilica on special occassions: to announce a new pope, etc.

Once the tour was complete, we decided to just walk back over to our hotel. We came upon a bunch of students doing a 'protest walk'. We decided to steer clear of them and head south. Before long, we found ourselves back at the Colisseum. I went in and took a bunch of pictures. This place was neat to see. Construction began between 70 and 72 AD. Capable of seating 50,000 people, the Coliseum was used for gladiator contests, along with mock sea battles, executions, animal hunts, and dramas based on Classical Mythology.

We made it back to our hotel around 5pm. With some heavy touring leaving us exhausted after the past few days, we decided to stay in and rest. Tomorrow is a new day.

Day #260 - Rome, Italy

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II

Julius Caesar statue

Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain

Colisseum

Monday, November 29th

Today we got an early start and walked around a few of the open markets in Florence before heading to the train station. We took a 10:40am train to Rome - arriving around 12:20pm.

Rome -- the last large city I've yet to visit on my trip. Fired up to see the many sites I've studied or read about in the past --- the Vatican, the Colisseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica - the list goes on and on.

Kay and I had not booked a hotel on arrival. We had 4 nights - so we wanted to stay someplace fairly central in the city. We were unsuccessful in coming up with a spot at the train station (as we used Wi-Fi outside a hotel while standing on the street corner), so we decided to walk the streets a bit. We headed straight down toward the Colisseum.

First site of the Colisseum - great. We rounded the corner of Cavour street and could see the jagged walls from afar. Bags in tow, we headed over for some pictures. We next decided to head toward the city center and A.) get some food and B) find a hotel. We made it to about 100 meters from the Trevi Fountain when we stopped for a nice lunch. If you would pick up a map of Rome and point to the center - that's where we ate. I was sort of surprised at how walkable the city felt. We did not have intentions to walk the city - but we had already covered a significant portion, even rolling our luggage.

After lunch, we headed over to the Trevi Fountain and took some photos. This place was great - the best fountain I can ever recall seeing anywhere else in the world. We went in a few hotels and checked pricing -- way too high. We were lucky enough to find an internet cafe where we got a great 4-star hotel for a budget price. The hotel was located between the Termini Station and the Trevi Fountain (not far from the Republicca).

We walked over and checked in. It was late afternoon by now. We investigated some tour options for Tuesday, booked a tour of Vatican City, and then headed out for a nightcap. We walked down one of the main shopping streets in Rome - Via Nazionale. We started out by the Republicca and made our way to the Trevi Fountain. We got a gelato and sat on the steps of the Fountain enjoying the view. It may be a little cold and rainy; however, we are pretty much able to go wherever we want and see all the main sites with very little traffice. It's nice. We commented that there would be 'no way' we would be sitting here in July at 8pm without enduring some heavy tourist acitivity.

We next walked up to the Spanish Steps. Wow! This place was impressive. I think I got my first sense of "I'm really in Rome" while standing at the base of these stairs. We walked up to the top and took a couple pictures of the famous Hassler Hotel at the peak. We walked back down, bought some roasted chestnuts, and then took a long stroll back to the hotel.

We're knocking out some mileage in Rome - all good. Today was an appetizer for more to come. Good night from Italy.

Day #259 - Cinque Terre, Italy

View of Vernazza from high above

View from the final segment into Riomaggiore

Steep cliffs

Kay - mesmorized

Getting started

Initial views

Nice, blue water

Sunday, November 28th

A challenging, but rewarding day today. We headed out of Florence at 7:27am via train to Pisa. We arrived at 8:27am and then took a 9am train to La Spezia, Italy. We arrived here at 9:51am and then took our third and final train to our destination - Monterossa, Italy.

Cinque Terre --- The CinqueTerre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It's located just north of the city of Pisa, on the western side of the country. There are 5 villages that make up this area: Monterossa (northern-most village), Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore (southern-most village).

Today, we toured this area. Reading through all the literature and travel books concerning Italy -- this is always viewed as one of the hidden treasures. I would concur after my visit today. Exceptional - I would recommend it to all.

The big draw with the Cinque Terre is the hiking trails that connect the 5 villages. These trails all skirt the coastline, as you walk up and down these steep cliffs with dramatic views of the ocean below. In addition to the water, you're walking through vineyards, orange trees, lemon tress, fields, etc --- it's unbelievable scenery.

Only unfortunate thing about today, it was about 30-35 degrees and raining. We were actually told that 3 of the 4 hiking routes were closed. You could take trains from village to village - but we really wanted to hike. We took the train to the northern-most village of Monterossa. The trail was open. We later learned that the path from Monterossa to Vernazza is actually the most difficult section of the course. That it was. It took us 2 hours to walk a distance that was said to be 3km. The trail is 9km in total distance (5-6 miles) - with the first segment of 3km, then 4km, then 1km, and 1km.

I've hiked alot of trails - and this trail in near sleeting conditions was very aggressive. Many steep ascents and descents on these slippery rocks. We were fine as we took our time and secured each footstep. We past only 5 others on our way. 1 gentlemen from the US (Florida) and 2 couples from Sweden. Kay and I made it to Vernazza and then had lunch. We ventured out for our next segment. It seemed like it had gotten 10 degrees colder. The wind had picked up dramatically. The next section was closed.

We decided to take the train to the 3rd town and start on the next segment from Corniglia to Manarola. This segment was closed as well. Slightly bummed that we were unable to walk the full length of the trail - but it made sense. No reason to be walking on these rocks under these conditions.

We were able to walk the last segment - as it was just a relatively flat walking path with nice guardrails. The views were amazing. We took it in and both felt that this is an area to return in the future.

We took the 3 train combination to get back to Florence. I felt really good - like a good day of skiing. We had hiked for over 3 hours on aggressive trails and seen some memorable scenery. We walked around the streets of Florence in our raingear upon our return until we finally called it a day.

Day #258 - Pisa, Italy

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Piazza del Duomo

Kay - holding up the tower

Great picture day in Pisa

Saturday, November 27th

Today we slept in until mid-morning and changed hotels in Florence. Not too bad - as our new place is actually closer to the city center and is a bit nicer.

We worked our way to the train station and took a mid-day train to the town of Pisa, Italy. It was a 1-hour connection. We set off on a walk across the city to the famous "Leaning Tower" of Pisa. A must-see site while in Italy.

The Leaning Tower is 1 of many ancient buildings in the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square). It is the free-standing bell tower of the cathedral. Construction of the tower occurred in 3 stages across 177 years - beginning in 1173. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the 3rd floor in 1178. This was due to a 3 meter foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil - a design that was flawed from the beginning. Construction was subsequently halted for nearly a century due to war and turmoil in the Republic of Pisa. This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle (otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled)

In 1272, construction continued. Engineers compensated for the tilt by building upper floors where 1 side had taller walls. Because of this, the tower is actually curved. Construction was halted a second time in 1284. The seventh floor was then completed in 1319. There are 7 bells - one for each note of the musical scale. The bell chamber was finally added in 1372.

In 1990, after 2 decades of stabilization studies, the tower was closed to the public. The bells were removed to relieve some wieght, cables were cinched to the 3rd floor, apartments and houses were vacated for safety, and the tower was slightly straightened. This feat was done by removing 50 cubic yards of soil under the raised end. The tower was straightened by 18 inches - returning it to its 1838 position. After a decade of reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the Tower was reopened to the public in December 2001. In May 2008, more dirt was removed from under the Tower. Engineers have stated the Tower has now stopped moving for the first time in history - and it should be stable for the next 200 years.

It's really interesting reading this story. We didn't get much information on-site today, but I'm looking at an internet article. I haven't found much on "Why they didn't just 'cut their losses' and end the project long ago". Well - I guess it makes for a unique tourist attraction. And - if they would have shelved the project - I wouldn't be writing about it today.

Kay and I took a few pictures while pretending to hold up the tower. It's a classic pose - everybody else was doing it.

We headed back into Florence. I did some much needed laundry and will soon be calling it a night.

Day #257 - Siena & Chianti, Italy

Central Square - Siena

Sunshine after some snow in Siena

320-foot bell tower

Wine country - Chianti

Friday, November 26th

Today we took a day trip out of Florence. We took the train down to the town of Siena - located about 25 miles south. We walked into the main city center after departing the train. This was a couple miles and took us 20-30 minutes. The day was really cold. It actually started snowing a little when we arrived at the city square.

Siena is an interesting town in the heart of Tuscany. A long winding road leads to the Piazza del Campo. The Plaza is divided into nine marble-trimmed strips, which represent the city's ancient Government of Nine - and are also said to imitate the folds in the cloak of the Virgin Mary. On 1 side of the square is the Palazzo Publico - with its 320-foot bell tower. This is the second highest in Italy. The Plaza is also the location for a twice-yearly bareback horse race known as the Palio. It entails a 90 second, 3 lap tour of the plaza. Supposedly - this is a huge draw and very difficult to get tickets.

We left Siena and took the train up the road to Chianti. Chianti is one of the most well-known wine regions in all of Italy - stretching between Florence and Siena. It was getting to be mid-afternoon by this time. Due to the season - sunset is a little before 5pm. We left the train station and started a trek up to the castle in town which overlooks the vineyards below. The path we chose to walk was a bit dangerous - as it was 1-lane each way - with no shoulder. We trudged through, but weren't overly comfortable. We ended up seeing some interesting sites - but decided to call it a day before actually reaching the castle. We hailed a taxi to take us back to Siena.

We took the train from Siena back into Florence. We had a nice dinner around the corner from our hotel and called it a day. Tomorrow we head to Pisa - to see some kind of a tower that leans to 1 side.

Wanted to acknowledge my high school football team today - the Valle Warriors. They just won the state championship - 22-21 (went for 2 points in overtime to win the game). Outstanding accomplishment. This is the 10th state championship in school history - which ties us for the most championships all-time in Missouri high school football. I was lucky enough to be apart of 3 of these championships when I was in high school (sophomore-senior). Something that will always stay with you. Congratulations fellas!!!!!

Day #256 - Florence, Italy

David statue - atop Michelangelo Plaza in Florence

Statues outsdie the Piazza della Signoria

Great Thanksgiving Dinner

A view overlooking the river in Florence

A view from Michelangelo Plaza - hilltop

Kay & I overlooking the city

Thursday, November 25th

Happy Thanksgiving! This year I have a whole lot to be thankful for - great family, great friends, and the good fortunes which have made this gap year journey really special.

Today was excellent. My sister and I started out early morning for our tour of Florence. We walked across the Fiume Arno river and climbed the steep steps leading to the Piazzale Michelangelo. There was a lookout point where we could see over the entire city. Spectacular. This was my first true look at Florence.

We continued our walking tour on the southern side of the river - making our way to Fort Belvedere. This was a nice walk through some tree-lined streets that winded their way across the hillside. Once we reached the Fort, we were able to get a different view from the city. We then descended down the steep hill onto the Ponte Vecchio bridge. We didn't even know we were on a bridge until we were half way across. There were shops and street vendors all along the way. The sun was just coming out at this point. We took some incredible pictures of the riverbank.

Our next stop was one of the most popular locations in Florence - The Uffizi Galleries. This is a large U-shaped art gallery - housing some of the most recognized masterworks of Western Civilization. Artists such as: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Francesca, Lippi, Raphael - they can all be found in this world-reknown gallery. It was interesting to see - a mixture of sculptures and paintings.

We next walked over to the Piazza della Signoria. This is one of the most impressive plazas in Florence. The sculptures were amazing. It's one of the more memorable sites I'll take home with me from Europe. We followed the busy street of Via del Calzaiuoli up to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. This place brings back memories of Notre Dame in Paris. The ceiling and paintings were the take-away for me.

We next worked our way over to the Galleria del Academia. This place holds the take-home symbol of Florence - the statue of David. This sculpture was made by Michelangelo between the years of 1502-1504. This original statue once stood at the Piazza della Signoria - until 1873 when it was brought to its current location. Today, 2 other large 'David' statues exist in the city: a marble copy sits in the Piazza della Signoria and a bronze copy sits atop Michelangelo Plaza (the hill we visited this morning).

We then walked around several of the open markets. Florence is known for leather. Every other shop had leather coats, handbags, wallets, etc -- some pretty high-dollar items on the streets of Florence. By this time, it was late afternoon. We worked our way back to the river and took some pictures of the fading sun. Then, back to the hotel in preparation for dinner.

Tonight we needed to get serious with dinner. I've only been out of the country 1 other time on Thansgiving day. That time, I ate kangaroo in the OutBack in Australia. Tonight, we researched the best restaurants in Florence on the internet. We decided we needed 'atmosphere' at a reasonable price. We decided on a place called ll Latini. We chose this place because it's family style. You get seated with other people. There's no menu - the waiters just give you a couple options - and pretty much bring you what they think you'll like. The wine is free-flowing and so is the conversation. This place was excellent - I'd recommend it to anyone.

My sister and I got seated by a couple from London. These people were absolutely some of the nicest, friendliest people I've met on my trip to date. What a fascinating dinner. They were extremely well traveled. Matter of fact - Andrew introduced me to the website: mosttraveledpeople.com. He currently sits as the 147th most travelled person in the world (at least of those who have signed up on this site). There is not a place I've been that they have not been. It was incredible. As I told them, I could sit and listen to their stories for a month - easy. They were very nice and down to earth. Andrew worked in the investment business and retired at the age of 48. They live on a boat for a portion of the year - aboardthe world.com. They just finalized a purchase on an apartment in Florence. Kay and I walked with them back to their place where they showed us around. Well - this was the fanciest, classiest home I've ever seen in my entire life --- amazing.

Good night from Florence. Here's to good times and good people. Here's to those who make us better - those people that keep us focused and keep us striving for new goals. Here's to believing that "Anything is Possible". And, here's to one of my favorite movies of all times - "It's A Wonderful Life" -- a movie that brings us a quote that's simple, but oh so right. "Dear George, remember, no man is a failure who has friends". I like to watch this movie every year during Thanksgiving break. It helps put things in perspective. Get back to the basics. Sorry to get so philosophical today -- but, it never hurts to think that way every now and again.

Day #255 - Bologna, Italy

Center Square - Bologna

Chocolate - made to look like rusted tools

Gate to the 'Old City'

Archway streets throughout town

Homemade tortellini soup

Wednesday, November 24th

Solid day in Italy today. We're working the train system and seeing the sites. For the second consecutive day, we made it to our train with about 5 minutes to spare early in the morning. Nothing like getting your heart pumping to jumpstart the day.

We left Venice around 8am and headed to Bologna, Italy. This was an intermediate stop on our way to Florence. We arrived at 10am - giving ourselves 4 hours to walk the city.

Bologna was great. I didn't know much about this city - but was pleasantly surprised. We first walked through one of the gates of the old city - built in the 12th century. We entered the town to find long streets lined with shops and people - down these decorated archways. We came upon a bunch of booths selling chocolate. It was some sort of festival or something. We got to walk along and eat samples at several of the different shops - very nice.

One of the draws to Bologna for us today was to try out some of the local cuisine. Bologna is the birthplace of mortadella sausage (the distant granddaddy of American bologna) and meat-stuffed tortellini pasta. We had an awesome lunch with homemade tortellini soup and shared a side-dish of the mortadella sausage.

A couple other things I read about: Bologna is home to the world's oldest university - the University of Bologna (founded in 1088). Bologna also ranks as one of Italy's top cities in terms of quality of life. It's a lively and cosmopolitan city, with a rich history in cuisine, art, and culture.

Without reading this, my sister and I pointed out the big-city feel. The streets were filled with people at noon on Wednesday in the middle of November. Alot of activity. This is defintely a great spot to spend a few hours (at a minimum) as you work your way into Tuscany.

We left Bologna around 2:15pm and took a 2-train combination to Florence - arriving at 4pm. We made our way to our hotel - located in a great spot on the western side of town. It was dark by now. We had a great dinner and spent the evening planning a strategy for the next couple days.

Tomorrow we get to experience Florence, Italy.

Day #254 - Venice, Italy

My sister Kay and I

St. Mark's Square - flooded

Walking over tables in front of St. Mark's Basilica

Awesome sites of Venice

My sister Kay - first view of the Grand Canal in Venice

Tuesday, November 23rd

Great day in Venice! My sister and I are doing a grand tour of Italy over the next 12 days. As I've been to the northern cities earlier on my trip, I'm excited to be somewhat of a tour guide for the first few days. Wherever she wants to go - I'm all in. We decided that we got the feel of Milan by walking the streets; therefore, we were off to Venice early on Tuesday.

We arrived via train around 11am. We hadn't booked a hotel yet - so we decided to walk around and see what we could find. The great thing about touring this time of year -- you pretty much have your pick of hotels. I would doubt if any are fully booked. We walked over to the area I stayed on my first visit. The goal was to stay in the same hotel that my aunt & uncle had stayed. It worked out that we found a great spot along the way -- a couple hundred yards from the central train station - right on the Grand Canal. Nice - for 55 euro (about $70).

I like Venice. Why? Because of it's uniqueness. My sister and I were just discussing this. It might not be the fanciest place around, are the most elegant city in the world; however, it has it's own style. We first took a leisurely walk down to St. Mark's Square. Great - the streets were not busy at all. We had free reign to see the shops and interesting squares along the way.

We arrived into St. Mark's Square --- to find it UNDER WATER. Wow! This is one of the most surprising things I've seen on the whole trip to date. The take-home symbol of Venice - St. Mark's Square - filled with several inches of water. We had to take a side canal to enter. They had tables set up where we could walk across the water. See pictures. We went inside St. Mark's Basilica - there was water on the floor of the Basilica as you walked in. Can't even believe it!

We discussed with folks and were told that this time of year generally brings rain and flooding. This is not uncommon in Venice. Many people were walking around in these large boots to keep out of the water. When we arrived via train, the levels in the Grand Canal were almost overflowing. By the end of the day, these levels had dropped some 4 foot. Unreal.

The sun came out as the day progressed. We took the water bus back to our hotel from the Basilica. Awesome. Just like I had remembered it. Not as many boats today. The ride took us only about 25 minutes or so. I remember it taking nearly 45 minutes in early July (many more people boarding, etc).

We walked around the side canals taking photographs along the way. A cool day today - but nice walking weather. We slipped in an afternoon siesta and then had a great dinner. We contemplated the same restaurant my aunt, uncle, and I had eaten at early this year -- but opted for variety. Nice!

We're here at our hotel drinking some hot tea and recapping the day's events. Tomorrow, we head south - to Tuscany area. We might stop off and have some Bologna first. See you soon.

Day #253 - Milan, Italy

Il Duomo - Milan

Teatro Alla Scala

Shopping streets of Milan

Plaza - Il Duomo

Santa Maria delle Grazie - Last Supper painting

Monday, Nobember 22nd

It's 4pm here on Monday afternoon. My sister comes in tonight at 7pm. I will be going to the airport in about an hour to meet up with her.

I've been to Milan once before on my trip - but only stayed a night and didn't really see anything. (It was just a transfer spot). Today, I got a chance to walk the streets and take in the sites.

So Italy has 4 cities in the Top 20 Most Visited Cities in Europe: Rome (3), Venice (12), Milan (18), and Florence (19). No wonder Italy is one of the favorite tourist spots of many Americans. I'm assuming going into this segment of the journey, many of you reading this have already been to these places - we'll see if I have similar takes.

Milan is really impressive. Did you ever see that Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James movie called "Grown-ups"? It was good - I saw it on my most recent flight back from the states. Adam Sandler's kids were really spoiled and were set to go to Milan. I can't get that image out of my head. I guess the city does have that feel a little bit. Fancy shopping streets, people looking the part with bags in hand. Now - I'm not close to a shopper-guy - not even remotely close. But, I can appreciate the scenery. It has that feel of class, wealth, flare -- slightly different than what I have experienced the past 5 days since my return from Israel.

Some of the other things of interest I saw today included: (1) The Last Supper. The famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci is located in the Gothic church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. I couldn't get in to see the painting today - as Monday it's closed. But, I was able to take some pictures of the church. It's currently undergoing some renovation. (2) Il Duomo. This is the world's largest Gothic cathedral. This was the take-home symbol of Milan for me. Really neat. I walked around inside. My book tells me that the only cathedral bigger then this is St. Peter's in Rome. Construction began in 1386 and was not completed until 100 years ago. It has 135 marble spires and 2,245 marble statues. (3) Teatro Alla Scala. Said to be the world's most famous opera house. Reopened in 2004 after 1,000 days of intensive renovation.

I went to the central train station and did some recon work for our travels the next couple days. I walked around for 2 hours trying to find a laundrymat - no luck. I had several people tell me where to go --- still was unsuccessful. Not so good - I badly need to do some laundry - soon.

I'll check in later after picking up my sister.

Later.

Found my sister - successful. I rode the bus out to the airport. In my sleepy haze, I got off at Terminal #2. I went inside and saw that her flight was going to arrive in Terminal #1. Still sleeping, I decided it would be a good idea if I just walked over to Terminal #1. About 3/4 of a mile later, with only signs of a long-distant connection to Terminal #1, not such a good idea. I was now left to run in high 30 degree temperatures. It was 6:30pm and my sister was set to arrive at 6:50pm. I'm running down an arbitrary road - hoping to make it. Finally, I found a bus to take me the last 1/2 mile - arrived at 6:53pm. Kay came out of customs at 7:15pm - solid.

Went back into Milan. Walked the shopping streets by our hotel for a couple hours. Had a nice dinner. Got to sleep around 10:30pm. All good stuff - tomorrow we head to Venice.

Day #252 - Bar, Montenegro to Milan, Italy

Awesome early morning clouds in Bar, Montenegro

Waiting at the bus stop in Bar, Montenegro

The 'road' to the airport - I walked straight down the middle of it

Last look at Bar, Montenegro

Sunday, November 21st

I got an early start out of Bar. I took a bus to the airport around 10am. The airport is very near the capital city of Montenegro - Podgorica. I was informed that I would need to take a taxi where the bus left me off - because it was a little ways from the airport. About 45 minutes into the journey, the guy stops at this T in the road (really nothing ealse around) He says: "There - airport". I'm like: "What - I don't see any airport". He says: "Just walk down that road - about 3-4 minutes".

OK - I sense this guy is legitimate. There is a small hill that I can't see over - I'm assuming the airport could be out of site. Also, I'm not expecting JFK Airport here - so I go with it. 20 minutes later - I get there. (3-4 minutes -- if you were in a jet going supersonic speeds - maybe). It was raining. I stopped and put on my rain gear at one point. I was just walking down the middle of the road with my bag in tow. Just a nice Sunday stroll.

I connected through Vienna, Austria on my way to Milan. My flight was at 3pm - I arrived into Milan around 7pm. I had to take a 1 hour shuttle bus to the city center. (I did not realize the international airport in Milan is so far from the city). It was pouring rain - so I took a taxi to my hotel -- arriving sometime before 9pm.

I was writing some last night - but apparently I was being pretty loud on my Skype calls - as people were coming out of their rooms brow-beating me. I decided to cut my losses and get some sleep.

Here's to some good times ahead in Italy. Did I save the best for last -- we'll see.