What's She Up to Now? Jody's Life Blog

Italian Riviera

Howdy!

Here's some more from my virtual tour of Europe

Italian Riviera

Again, the green is what the prompt was and the red is what I wrote. It's in honor of the Italian flag, which is red, white, and green. Not sure why all the names came up in green, but whatever. lol

August 11th

Quick grab your breakfast we're off for a full day adventure! Grab your swimsuits and good walking shoes.

Explore the Italian Riviera on this day trip to the beautiful Cinque Terre from Florence, with transport between each small town provided. Led by a local guide, discover each fishing village by coach, train and boat, from the beaches of Monterosso to the charming streets of Riomaggiore. Stop for a swim in the turquoise waters and upgrade to include a traditional Italian lunch. Soak up all the character of this UNESCO-listed region before heading back to Florence. Highlights Full-day trip to the Cinque Terre from Florence with transport Discover the UNESCO-listed Cinque Terre with your tour leader Travel between destinations by coach, train and boat Soak up the scenic views and distinct character of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Monterosso and Vernazza Enjoy a traditional lunch in quaint Monterosso, if option selected Stop off for a swim in the turquoise waters at one of the area’s beaches

Read more about Cinque Terre Day Trip with Transport from Florence - Florence | Viator at: https://www.viator.com/tours/Florence/Cinque-Terre-Day-Trip-with-Transport-from-...

What an interesting day! The fishing villages were cool, but I didn't care for the lunch so much...fish. I'm just not a fish person. They're fine to look at when they're all swimming around, but once they die, I want to have nothing to do with them anymore.

The villages were neat to see, though. It certainly makes me glad I'm not an Italian fisherman! Their lives are HARD! Then again, there's the peaceful times on the ocean between all the hard work, so I'm sure that's nice. But it's certainly not the life for me!

I found the building colors in the villages to be really fascinating. It was like a rainbow had thrown up on their little corner of paradise. lol I'd never get used to how narrow some of those streets are. I might one day learn to ride a scooter, but I certainly wasn't going to ever drive there. lol

However, the HIGHLIGHT of the trip to the villages was the hottie that started talking to Elycia Lee ☮ and I. Mmmm-mm! Too bad his English wasn't better. I had a really hard time understanding him, but who cares? He spoke the international language of 'hot guy paying attention to us,' so it didn't matter what he said.

Going to the beach later was good. We've gone to the beach a lot, though. I'm getting burned, even with sunscreen. lol I swear this is more beach time than I had my last year of living in HI! Hahaha The waters here were FABULOUS! I'm glad I invested in the cheap mask and snorkle; they were totally worth it to be able to get a closer look of the underwater sea life.

Dinner is up to you guys, if your hungry after all we've done today. I recommend the Panini Toscani or if you just want a lighter fare the Montecristo has the typical bar fare of meats and cheese platters.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g187895-Florence_Tuscany.html

https://www.yelp.com/biz/trattoria-sostanza-firenze-2?page_src=best_of_yelp

I opted for dinner with SB Musing. Aside from her place sounding delicious, especially since I was STARVING, but also, I wanted to know how her afternoon went. I'm not sure I ever want to spend time alone with her in a museum or any other place with rules. I'm pretty sure with her behavior and my bad luck, we'd get kicked out...if we were lucky. Anyway, that restaurant she chose was delicious! Since I was so hungry, I got an appetizer and desert as well. Truth be told, I was sort of fully by the desert, but that chocolate whatever it was that I got (I can't remember the Italian word, but it doesn't matter, it was CHOCOLATE lol) was AMAZING! I definitely left feeling suck, but it was worth it! lol

When we got back to the hotel, Sally invited me to hang out with her and Jellyfish and have some cocktails. I was so tired and so stuffed, but I REALLY enjoy Sally's company and Jellyfish is someone I'd been meaning to get to know better, so it seemed like the perfect time. I meant to only have 1 drink and stay like maybe an hour. (Don't forget, in Italy, dinner is later than it usually is in the U.S.A.) But we were having so much fun, I totally lost track of time and forgot how tired I was. I'm pretty sure there were energy drinks in a couple of those "get me something fruity and delicious" drinks I had. lol I'm really going to regret this in the morning, but for tonight, I got to spend time with two wonderful ladies and get to know them better. I'm SO glad for that!

Sally, thank you SO much for inviting me on this trip! You're awesome!

We have to be on the train at 8 am, a two hour ride to Venice.



Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.
- Gene Fowler