Saturday, August 27, 2016

in anticipation

hello everyone!!
 
 
welcome to the most recent installment of Neil's Travel Blogs.  this one will be about Italy. 
 
this trip will be a little different than the previous ones.  we are not going to be climbing any mountains.  we are not going to be taking any life endangering hikes.  we are not visiting a country that is only 90 miles from American soil, but which we have not had formal relations with for over 60 years.  we are not going to the trouble spots of the world.  no, we are just going to Italy.
 
the other big difference about this trip is that it is not with my kids.  that is pretty unusual.  there is nothing like traveling with your own children.  their perspective on what we do and see is so fascinatingly different. 
 
no, this trip will be different. 
 
my two traveling companions are PJ and Tom, both good friends from the California desert.  both of whom live in the RV/motorcoach lifestyle for at least a part of the year.  you will get to know them over the next three weeks.
 
in fact, my guess is that this blog will be less about Italy and more about what it is like when three septuagenarians travel together.  it should be a stitch.
 
but,first, the itinerary.
 
we land in Milan next Tuesday, august 31st.  immediately we take a high speed train to Venice.  spend two days there, and then by train go to Cinque Terre.  after almost 4 days there, we go to Florence for two days.  then by car to a Tuscany farm for 4 days.  we then drive to the Amalfi Coast, staying in Positano for four days, and finally ending  up with three days in Rome before returning home on the 19th of September.  20 days total.
 
yes, 7 days in Venice, Florence and Rome.  but, very importantly, 13 days hanging out in Cinque Terre, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast.
 
I love maps!!