Luckily we were a day at sea yesterday because I succumbed to Tom’s cold and was good for nothing!! I did manage to get myself down to breakfast and then we walked the upper decks for awhile. But, because of the sea day, nearly every chaise lounge was spoken for. So we returned to our …
Author Archives: retirementwanderlustblog
Life on the MSC Lirica & Wandering Matera and the Sassi
Every cruise has had a different ‘flavor’ and this one was no exception. Probably most noticeable was the very few English speakers on board and even fewer Americans. There were maybe a few dozen of us. LOTS of Italians, Germans, Asians and a few from the UK. Every announcement and most printed materials were in …
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Lucca to Venice
Today was predominantly a travel day. Our landlady in Lucca was kind enough to make taxi arrangements for us. We were traveling by train from Lucca to Venice where we would board our ship for a 7-day Adriatic/Mediterranean cruise. We were a little nervous because the final train was to arrive in Venice at 1:30 …
Lucca due
Sorry we had only two days here, we were totally enchanted with Lucca! Today was slower because Tom’s leg (from his mishap in Milan) was aching and he somehow managed to catch a doozie of a cold. We postponed Cindy’s arrival until 1 p.m. because we were also waiting for a call from Ali & …
¡Bella Lucca!
We said our goodbyes to our little piece of paradise on the Italian coast. I will miss sleeping to the rhythmic sounds of the waves lapping the shore and the smell of the sea air. After a last breakfast on the terrace, we finished packing and hauled our suitcases down the 138 stairs!! Cinque Terre …
Last Day in Vernazza
We woke to a dazzling morning; bright skies with high white clouds. Had breakfast as usual on the terrace, while enjoying the views and eavesdropping on conversations. Our thought was to give our weary legs a break and just stay close to home wandering the streets and alleyways of Vernazza. Yesterday we had wondered about …
Corniglia
The rain fell and hard throughout the night. With the terrace doors open, the sounds and the smells made for beautiful sleeping (when I wasn’t stressing about a flood!). We woke to no rain but still overcast skies, but it was clear the storm had passed. By the time we were finished with breakfast we …
Monterosso
The anticipated rains arrived and altered our plans somewhat. Because the storm had been anticipated to be a strong one, the walking path from Vernazza to Monterosso was closed ‘by order of the Mayor’. Plan B was the train. Either because it was Sunday, or because the weather was less than favorable, the crowds were …
Riomaggiore and Manarola
After breakfast on the terrace and with the promise of a beautiful day we headed to two of the southern towns only accessible by train or ferry. There were/are trails connecting all five towns but rains in 2012 caused damage to some. From Vernazza we can access Corniglia (to the south) and Monterosso (to the …
¡Bella Vernazza!
It was hard to say goodbye to our little apartment in Milan, but I think we got out of town just in time. Things were really starting to ramp up for Fashion week! With what we now knew was an easy walk to the train station, we were not pressed for time. Check out was …
¡Ciao America! 