Last ice cream

This is the last gelato shop before heading home.

Government Building

The outside of the Florence municipal building is a little different than what we see in the states. Original sculpture (rape of the savens) on the right and the slaying of Medusas on the left. Michaelangelo's David used to stand in this piazza but is now in a museum.

Pisa

The obligitory tourist shot.

Traveling to Como

Headed to the Alps

Leaving Venice

We say goodbye to Venice and head to Como at the base of the Alps.

Ah Venice! This is arguably the most romantic place on earth or at least it is today. Piazza St. Marco takes the world away and replaces it with pensieri d'amore (thoughts of love).

On to Venice

Traveling through Emillio Romano on our way to Venice. Out of the mountians into the farm land.

Capri Coffee Shop

Sitting in a wonderful little shop overlooking Capri harbor and Sorrento in the distance.

Sorrento

We're waiting for a boat to Capri. Enjoying the benefits of the off season (small crowd, small group, small temperature)

Vatican - St. Peters

St. Peters this morning. The Renaissance/ Baroque art is breath taking.

First Walk

First walk, good first taste of the city.

Train station

Turns out the train station is close to the hotel and after check in
and a little nap we walked to Stazione Termini. Found a little place
to change some money bought some pringles than home again for a 5:00pm
meeting with everyone. 26 people on the tour from various parts of
world; I.e. South Africa, australia, Canada, Mexico, and the states.

Arrivederci

I can remember when my parents had their 40th wedding anniversary. We had a little family thing where all the relatives got together and talked and ate and did what families do. Mom and Dad sat in two chairs at the end of the room and relatives reminisced about times they'd been together. To think that they had been married for what seemed like an eternity was an amazement almost unparalleled. But now when I look up the same two chairs are filled by Lola and Jim. Such an experience in time travel just by saying "I do" life has shot forward like the old reel to reel tape recorder on fast forward with jumbled words flying by almost recognizable but not quite. And so here we are after 40 years together still celebrating the "I do" of commitment not perfectly but good enough.

We're off to Italy! Arrivederci We'll post pictures here.

Digital Dismay

I am witnessing the death of broadcast television. It's not that I'm an avid watcher but it is an available form of entertainment and diversion is welcoming from time to time. Long ago tv was a credible form of journalism simply reporting the news and not making it. We have moved far beyond the antiquated ideology in this century of enlightenment. But now the final insult. It has been decided in some upper floor executive suite that in order to make our access to advertisements briefly interrupted by programming more fulfilling we need to have digital high definition television. Just imagine picture clear interpretation as if you were really there. No more snowy fuzzy car commercials telling us that tens of thousands of dollars is a reasonable price for a vehicle designed to last seven years. But now the world will change and it will be like standing there almost touching the product. So as a dutiful consumer I made the switch, the box, the tv, the antenna the whole works I got 'em. Instead of moving forward to a glorious utopian high definition heaven I've shuffled backward to a per kaleidoscope universe like some arthritic thumb flipping through the pages of a picture book. If this is progress I think it's gone on long enough. I'm going to read a book.