Florence, Italy

The Gold Bridge where all the gold vendors have their shops.
Beautiful church covered in soft pink marble.

The star attraction in Florence is David.

A typical street in Florence with the fruit vendor.

Pinocchio showed up in many places. The little boy in the picture wants to become friends.

Spires from the market place.

Our tour began and ended at the market place. There were vendors from many European countries represented here. There also were statues everywhere you looked. A beautiful city worth spending time exploring.

Hope with a Vote!

As an American citizen, it is our right to vote. Please don't let it pass you by.
In Oregon we vote by mail. Our ballots were sent in a couple weeks ago. We were excited to be able to vote and give voice to our desires. We have HOPE for the future with our vote. We look forward to the Celebration of Hope.

Walking in Barcelona

Las Rambles, the main shopping avenue through Barcelona. For our visit to Barcelona we chose to not take a tour, but explore on foot. Did we ever walk, our feet were sore by the end of the day. Our only regret was missing the Gaudi architecture, which would be a must if we ever go back. For lunch along the avenue we stopped and enjoyed tapas.
My goal on Las Rambles Boulevard was to find Escriba chocolate shop. Escriba opened it's doors in 1906; so I figured it must be good to be in business so long. It was.

In our wanderings we came across churches. This church we passed a couple times from different directions in our search for the Picasso Museum. We did eventually find the museum, which we enjoyed. We also found many quaint streets, market places, and interesting looking shops.

One of the streets we wandered down.

We found at least two tea shops.

Great architecture. This building is decorated with umbrella motifs.

Christopher Columbus statue.

The Port of Barcelona building.

Each city we visited had it's own distinct architecture. I would love to explore Barcelona more. There was a whimsy in what they add to their buildings and shops. My appetite was just touched, but not satisfied. There might need to be another visit here.

Smiles at Halloween

Imagination is the true magic carpet.

~Norman Vincent Peale
Picture and words courtesy of Country Living Magazine

May many smiles come your way on this Halloween Day!

Taormina and the Greek Theater

Yes, I said we would be on to Barcelona, but I almost missed Taormina. We wouldn't want to miss Taormina, on the Island of Sicily. It was a beautiful ancient town at the top of a bluff overlooking the Mediterranean. Beautiful! Now can't you just picture yourself sitting at this table looking at that view?
The main street of Taormina had many quaint shops and sights. Later there was a wedding taking place along this street and the women came down the street dressed in their finest, pushing their baby carriages. Oh I wish I had taken their pictures.

The stairs leading to more enchanting sights.
I love the colour of the pot.

And such sights to see in each shop window. Beautiful colours!

An antique shop with a teapot I would have loved to bring home. Alas, the price was more than I wanted to pay, but the picture was free.

At the far end of the main street through town we came to the Greek Theater. Oh what concerts must have been enjoyed here.

The Greek Theater from up above. There was a bookstore up here and we came home with a recipe book of Sicilian cooking. Now I must get started cooking.

Gondola Ride in Venice

Welcome to Venice and the busy canals. They were full of gondolas.

Our gondolier was a bit grumpy. Can you imagine, he wouldn't even smile or sing. I took his unhappy face in a picture; but it doesn't make my heart sing, so I won't share it.

Oh well, we had a good time anyway.

Along the canal we loved seeing the painted posts. Another colour to add to our memories of our trip to Europe.

The Grand Canal from the gondola.

Now wouldn't that be a lovely place to stop and sip your tea. I thought so.

Just for fun, you can see Jim and myself from the gondola. Smiles were part of the day and we loved Venice. Now onto the next stop tomorrow, Barcelona. I hope you are not getting bored, but this is the easiest way for me to share our trip. We will get back to life somtime next week.

Murano and Burano

A glassblower on the Island of Murano.

I had hoped to see more of the glassblowing island, but the stop was short. The glass was beautiful. The glassblower made this horse in about 4 minutes.
From the moment we approached the Island of Burano, I was captivated. The tower was leaning too. The colours of the world were definitely a part of this beautiful little island. It is known for lacemaking and multi colored houses. The houses definitely caught my eye.

A lace maker.

Isn't the colour beautiful? Each house a different colour.

Colour even in the pastries. We stopped at this small bakery for a cookie and came out with a bag of cookies and a nice slice of nugget filled with pastichios and candied fruit. We nibbled the rest of the trip home. Perfect with a cup of tea.