We Have Moved On ...

Wendy here - Well, we said good bye to our new friends in the Greve Chanti with a couple of drinks on Friday night. Much excitement as they had a snake in their apartment. Peters fair-less daughter Alice searched it out and picked it up and put it outside in the garden!!!! We are all assuming it wasn't poisonous ......  Then later that night as I was getting ready for bed I found a lizard in our room - now I don't mind lizards but I was pretty sure I couldn't sleep with him walking around the bedroom!!! Andrew to the rescue - caught it and delivered it outside. I'm pretty pleased that we saved these wild life experiences until the last night :).

We drove to Pisa - we all loved it. Parked right by the Pisa where gypsies direct you to parking, in spaces far too small for a car, then charge you for their service. We thought the car was probably safer there than in a more deserted street, but did chain and lock our bags in the boot!  Anyway we had a lovely time - and we all agreed we could have stayed longer. Got in the car for what should have been a quick hour and a half to Manarola - over two and a half hours later we arrived. Traffic was crazy - at times we were crawling along the motorway and then it would clear with no apparent reason for the hold up. A couple of wrong calls made in La Spezia (I want it on record that one was Andrews and one was mine!!), then finally we arrived.

Pisa is a very neat place
to visit.

Manarola is the second of five villages in the Cinque Terre, it has not been adapted at all for tourists, which means you can't bring your car in and there are no supermarkets etc here. It is literally built on the cliff face. Our accommodation is right at the top with wonderful views - downside is the 206 steps down to the restaurants and beach!!! Actually getting down isn't really the problem .....

On the Ponte Vecchio

We have just had our breakfast and are heading off for the shortest walk to Riomaggiore.  Andrew can finish off ....

Basilica

Florence !  The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore magnificent.   Even after seeing all the beautiful architecture in the last month,   I am still amazed that they knew how to do it in the 12th century or earlier.  Stunning Haute Couture shops (Wendy did he 'kiss the LV window' shot again) all within a two block area and the jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio was an eye opener. Needless to say that  the Devlin's went to the markets !!! and had a great time snooping around an picking up  few things.  Driving is getting easier as I become more comfortable with the Italian style - flat out and furious ! I just stick to the right hand lane and potter along.  We're heaps better at toll booths, off ramps and 'trusting' our lovely GPS voice - as Grace said - she hasn't let us down yet.  Actually getting into Pisa yesterday was a breeze.  Better go !

First of 206 steps !