We had another nice train ride from Innsbruck to Salzburg. Not as nice, mind you, as it could have been. First, we could have kept the “Business Class” seats that we attempted to claim. That would have been nice. Apparently our “1st Class” Eurail Pass doesn’t entitle us to such luxuries, according to the conductor… Continue reading Salzburg, AT
“Servus” Austria
Well, we’re in Innsbruck, Austria and I can’t get the ‘Sound of Music’ soundtrack out of my head – and it’s only going to get worse as we head towards Salzburg. A couple of days ago we had found ourselves leaving the Santa Lucia station in Venice, sharing a 6 chair cabin with a German… Continue reading “Servus” Austria
“Arrivederci” Italy
Our train ride to Venice was short – just over an hour. An early start, mandated by our early-ish checkout time, saw us checking in to our new home at noon, so we had most of the day to explore Venice. We were not staying in Venice, since it’s so expensive, and easily accessible from… Continue reading “Arrivederci” Italy
Verona, IT
I am surprised by how much I enjoyed our stay in “Fair Verona”. In ways that have nothing to do with Shakespeare, it is a very charming and historical town with a certain je ne sais pas, a friendly feeling. Likely, it helped that we met more Canadian travellers there, and on the way there,… Continue reading Verona, IT
Sorrento, IT
Our trains to Sorrento were quite uneventful, with the exception of the Naples to Sorrento leg, which reminded me too much of our train ride to Lagos, Portugal a couple of months back. The light rail system made about 30 stops or so, while the heat was suppressed only when the train was moving, allowing… Continue reading Sorrento, IT
Roma, IT
Our arrival in Rome marked the end of our roadtripping through Italy, and admittedly, I was relieved to have parked the car and put the crazy Italian drivers in the past. We dropped off the car at the airport and took the train in to Roma Termini, which was smart planning on Mom K’s part,… Continue reading Roma, IT
Tuscany, IT
We spent five nights at La Spiga d’Oro, one of many “agroturismo” farms scattered across Tuscany which host guests in a self-catering style accomodation. Our welcome was authentically Italian. Our host was not in, so we first me his parents, an elderly couple straight out of a cariacature about old-world Tuscan country living, who welcomed… Continue reading Tuscany, IT
Volterra, IT
Our intention, when heading out from the Cinque Terre region, had been to drive through the day on the speedy Autostrada highway and spend the night in Siena. We had been confused on our way in, due to poor maps, missing signage, and unlabeled roads… The same problems plagued us on the way out, and… Continue reading Volterra, IT
Cinque Terre, IT
Ahhh, Cinque Terre (the Five Villages), we made our way here from Rapallo. I didn’t know what to expect, but I heard from many folks that this region was beautiful. And rightfuly so. The area was extremely mountanous and the cliffs dropped off right into the Mediterranean sea. The roads were narrow and winding, and… Continue reading Cinque Terre, IT
“Bonjourno” Italy!
We’ve spent the past several days travelling with my folks, visiting from Kelowna for the first part of our stay in Italy. We met them, after some tribulation, in Meina, a small town somewhat north of Milan. Christina and I had departed from Nice early in the morning. We caught a commuter train to Ventimille,… Continue reading “Bonjourno” Italy!