What a Week

Bitter -Sweet !!! Beautiful Florence, fascinatinating Pisa, magnificent Venice but also ...........
Car problems, mounting bills as a result of, Todd got food poisoning on Tuesday night & suffered all day Wednesday as a result of our first meal in Venice. I fell flat on my face on Wednesday morning in Venice (have no idea how) & as a result have cracked ribs & hurt my right ankle. The ankle is doing OK but the ribs are incredibly painful just held at bay with neurofen.
Despite all this we laughed a lot (painful) & enjoyed our trip. Venice is amazing. I could have spent a fortune particularly on their glass work. Needless to say I bought an owl.
I didn't realise that the Venice that most people visit isn't the main city which is on the mainland. I had no idea that it was a series of islands. I hope they can save it & their predictions of it being under water in the next 50 years don't eventuate. I have never seen so many shops!

Our hotel was interesting - it was right on the Grande Canal next to the Rialto Bridge. Once you entered the hotel you were led through a couple of back lanes to another building. The rooms had silk covered walls & were very quaint.

Thursday night we spent back at Lucca as the car wasn't ready. The part needed was in Milan. The main problem was that Matt's car is a right hand drive not left hand drive like most cars in Europe. We ended up in a hotel on a major motorway. Noisy!!! Thankfully the car was ready Friday morning & we had an uneventful trip back. Nacchos for tea - we were all well & truly over Italian food.

Tuscany was pleasant but in my opinion the landscape is not a patch on the French Alps. And Italian drivers ...... don't get me started .......... they are insane.

We are thankful to be back at Matt & Greg's in one piece.

If you want to see some photos go to:

http://mafoo.com/florence

http://mafoo.com/venice2008/

http://mafoo.com/tuscany/