Monday, May 23, 2022

Home Again

 Momma Mia!
I'm finally back.

Having the opportunity to travel again
has felt incredible. 
Running Man and I were 
extremely cautious, wearing our masks,



using plenty of hand sanitizer,
and trying to avoid crowds as much as possible. 
Being careful though, didn't interfere
with our ability to have an awesome trip
because we certainly did.

Where in the world have I been?
Can you guess?









Yes!
We were able to travel to
Bella Italia.
Beautiful Italy.



We were with a small group
from Odyssey Tours traveling 
to multiple regions and cities
of northern Italy. 

We flew into Milan and made our way
north to Stresa located on 
beautiful Lake Maggiore
on the south side of the Alps.




nearby Lake Orta


After a couple of days exploring
the area we traveled to Santa Margherita
along the Mediterranean coast. 

The view from our hotel.


The sea was a brilliant blue.




We enjoyed the fresh pasta
and pesto this area is known for.


Next we traveled by train and then by ferry
to explore the
5 Italian villages nestled on the coast
known as the Cinque Terre.

The colors of the villages
along with the blue water was stunning.


Then we moved on to the rolling hills region
known as Tuscany.
First stopping in the charming town
of Lucca and it's medieval walls


We stayed in the small village of
Radda in Chianti
surrounded by vineyards
and forests

It was delightful, just what you 
would imagine. 



One day we explored Florence.

Ponte Vecchio

So many incredible sights.
The Duomo



Another day was spent in Siena 
marveling at their Duomo and

 the spectacular Piazza del Campo

We traveled around in a very comfortable motor coach 
and had an incredible tour director.
Both important factors for a great trip.

From Siena we traveled further north to
an area looking very different from the way we
 usually visualize Italy.
We went to Balzano located in the Italian alps.  


 
The scenery was breathtakingly.

  The peaks of the Dolomites are so powerful.  Very different from the 
Rocky Mountains I see at home.

This area has an Austrian vibe rather than Italian.   
The people speak German first, then Italian.


Strudel not tiramisu 


Beer not wine

Then one last stop along the Adriatic. 
Of course, you know where.
Venice.

The Grand Canal


St Mark's Basilica

There aren't enough adjectives to
describe this special unique place.



We walked and walked for two weeks
in this beautiful northern part of the country.
We ate and ate wonderful food.

But like any fabulous trip, it's always
nice to head back home.
One last water taxi ride on
our way to the airport.

Arrivederci!

Until Next Time-
Kyle






23 comments:

  1. Ohhh my goodness Kyle, thank you for taking us on your travels with you. What an adventure, and memories you'll have forever!
    *hugs*
    Tazzie
    :-)

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  2. Oh my, it looks like you had a wonderful time! Oh, to travel again would be wonderful. Glad you took the plunge.

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  3. I know that was fun!!! My DH's father immigrated to the US from Italy when he was 9...all by himself!! So, many years ago (DH has been gone nearly 10 yrs), we took a cruise from Rome, stopping in many Italian ports then over to France (we opted to visit Monaco) and Spain (Barcelona). It was a fabulous trip and beautiful country. A friend and I took a land tour a few years back with a company similar to yours. We hit a few areas of northern Italy on that trip. SO beautiful. Glad you got to go!!

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  4. What a fantastic trip. Thanks so much for sharing the photos. The scenery is so beautiful. Hugs

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  5. WOW! Just wow... what a wonderful vacation. The photos are amazing, so I can only imagine what it was like in person. You really saw so much of beautiful Italy!

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  6. Oh what fabulous fun! So beautiful, and the food - oh my! So glad you were able to travel again.

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  7. What a dream come true? Thanks for sharing the beauty of Italy with all o us.

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  8. Oh, this looks amazing, Kyle! So glad you were able to go, and that you can share the country with us!

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  9. Oh my goodness, I’m jealous, though I have no right to be since I’ve had the great good fortune to have been to Italy several times to visit several different areas. I even studied in a hospital in Rome for several weeks when I was in medical school. Many of your photos brought back wonderful memories - thank you! So glad you had a wonderful time! I really hope international travel is in my not too distant future - in fact, Italy is so wonderful, I could just keep going back there over and over!😊

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  10. What a wonderful trip, Kyle. Italy is magnificent and your photos are beautiful. It's great you were able to travel and do so safely. Thanks so much for sharing.

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  11. Such wonderful scenery! Appears the weather cooperated beautifully. 'Brilliant blue' is a perfect adjective. Thank you for sharing your awesome trip to Italy!

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  12. Amazing adventure, gorgeous photos! I would love to visit some of those places one day.

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  13. Oh what fun! Thanks for sharing your fabulous photos and descriptions!

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  14. That looks fabulous!!! I am so glad you got to experience it!!!

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  15. Oh my goodness. That looked like a fabulous trip. Don't know what camera you used, but it took quality pictures. Thank you for sharing.

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  16. Holy toledo!@ What a whirlwind and amazing trip! I LOVED Italy! Do you feel like the tour is a good way to see a lot in the period of time you had? Would you go back to any certain areas and spend more time?

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  17. What an amazing trip! So glad you were able to have good times and bring back some wonderful memories.:)

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  18. Wow Kyle! What a marvellous trip! It all looks so beautiful and sounds so delicious 😋

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  19. What a wonderful trip.Great that you were able to travel safely and do all that you wanted to.

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  20. Oh, what a fantastic trip, Kyle! So glad you had a wonderful and safe journey. Loved seeing Italy through your eyes but my favorite photo was the little village with its colorful buildings :)

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  21. Oooh... what a fabulous holiday, Kyle! It's funny because my son and his girlfriend just did almost the exact same trip (on their own, though), but they went to Sicily instead of Venice. Your photos are lovely and I'm sure the food was wonderful. Glad you traveled to and from safely!

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  22. oh my! what a fabulous trip. The scenery, the history, the wine, the food - I'm so happy to see your beautiful photos. I want to go back. I've been to a number of regions, but have not been to Venice yet. Thank you for sharing your special trip. I savoured every photo!

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  23. Beautiful sunny Italy! You made such a wonderful trip with a lot of highlights. And the food is so wonderful there, I can almost smell it while looking at the pictures, hope you enjoyed some of the wonderful wines too. They always taste better in Italy!

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