Colmar, France to Baden Baden, Deutschland (Germany)

I slept in as late as I could stand and watched the BBC world news for a while.  Just heard that the Fed took over Fannie and Freddie.  I packed and got everything in the car and then walked to the Colmar Centre Ville and walked around for a few hours.  The guy who built our Statue of Liberty, Frédéric Bartholdi, is from here as well as Voltaire, and Victor Hugo went to school here.  It’s a gorgeous town and if you didn’t know any better you’d think you were in Germany with the classic old German style and half timbered buildings.

I decided to stay another night and found the hostel but it didn’t open till 5:00 so I took a drive.  Before I knew it, I was in Germany and the Black Forest.  I have news.  The Black Forest really isn’t black.  I just wanted to dispel any rumors or misunderstandings about this you see.  Apparently it’s just very dense so it’s dark and so the locals dubbed it … Read Full Article & Comments…

The Cinque Terre, Italia (Italy) to Bourg en Bresse, France to Colmar in the Alsace region of France

Sep 6.  You can’t miss him she said.  I kept looking all over town for Antonio this morning so I could check out.  I missed him.  I finally just plopped down on a stoop and waited.  Three minutes later, there’s Antonio.  There’s a lot to be said for just staying still and relaxing; things happen.  I paid the man, said thanks and got my bags and started hiking up the road.  Once at the top of town, I caught the shuttle bus to the parking lot about a thousand more feet up; sure am glad I didn’t have to hike that with my packs.

Yep, I have mixed feelings about this, I’m leaving Vernazza and the Cinque Terre and heading north.  At last count I have 60+ bites of the bug variety on my arms, legs, feet and neck.  It’s hot but it’s bearable.  After getting my massage from Kate, who came here from London seven years ago and never left, I figured I ought to get going. Read Full Article & Comments…

Vernazza, Italia (Italy)

Wow, I woke up this morning with no particular plans and nothing to do.  That’s great in one sense I suppose, but I’m worried that if I stay here much longer, I may never leave.  This place is so seductive.

I went downstairs to my favorite little pizzeria this morning to upload the last couple of days of posts and I remembered there’s a massage therapist in town, so I looked her up and made an appointment for 5:00.  There, now I have something planned today.

I figured I’m on a roll, so I hopped the train to Manarola, there’s an artist there that had a gallery and I’d like to have a print of the area, which is rare for me, and I really hate shopping.  Oh my gosh, I’m going shopping.  There were a few prints that I liked and they ship home, but they’re also on the web, so I don’t have to make my decision right now.  There’s another artist in Vernazza and I really like her prints as well, so I’ll wait till I get home and then order something.

Just before getting on the train though, I heard an announcement Read Full Article & Comments…

Manarola to Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italia (Italy)

Yesterday was fairly relaxed.  I took the train to Vernazza to look for the internet, which I found at a steep price of three euros per 30 minutes, oh well.  After purchasing a couple of hours worth and realizing there’s a good signal outside on the main street, I sat down at a little pizzeria with outdoor seating and ordered a drink and a pizza.  I pulled out the computer and started uploading.

I felt a little guilty taking up a whole table that seated five and so when I noticed a couple looking at the menu and also noticed there were no other tables available, I spoke up and told them the pizza is good here and motioned for them to sit down at my table, which they did.  I looked over at the proprietor and he gave me a wink of approval.  Angie & Richard are from South Australia and we had a nice chat while I was uploading and while we all ate.  I wished them well as they left and since I was parked in a great spot that I didn’t want to leave (it was kind of like a park), I ordered another drink and motioned for another couple to sit down.  Before long a mother and her daughter joined us as well and we were a full table.  It was nice.

Then it got very dark and started thundering, oh boy, is it really going to rain here?  Well it did start raining and the street emptied pretty fast.  Then within five minutes, the street was full again with people with their umbrellas; where did all the umbrellas come from?  I wasn’t sure if this town had ever seen rain let alone an umbrella.  The rain lasted a good half hour and we were mostly dry under our awning at the pizzeria.  As long as I ordered a drink now and then and invited people to sit down, they didn’t seem to mind me staying so long. Read Full Article & Comments…

Manarola, Cinque Terre, Italia (Italy)

I got up this morning here at the Hotel Marina Piccola and went to the harbor at 7:00am to just hang out and watch the place come alive.  I took lots of pictures and while walking around, I saw a small boat coming out of the harbor with a grandma and grandpa and their grandson.  I watched while they rowed out to sea to do some fishing.  I thought it odd that Grandma did all the rowing.

A little black and white cat befriended me and followed me all over and sat with me whenever I sat.  I watched a couple of ships pass by.  Around 8:00 I headed back to the hotel to have breakfast and after that, I loaded up my pack, filled my water bottles, checked the batteries in my camera, got my walking shoes on, and off I went. Read Full Article & Comments…

Roma (Rome) to Manarola in The Cinque Terre in the Liguria region, Italia (northwest Mediterranean coast of Italy)

I’m sitting on the deck of the Marina Piccola Ristorante in the village of Manarola in the Cinque Terre (ching-quay tay-reh) which is in the Liguira region of Italy, sometimes referred to as the Italian Riviera.  The sun is setting just over my right shoulder, small fishing boats are being lowered into the water and the smell of the Mediterranean and seafood cooking fills the air.  I’m listening to the sounds of seagulls, the water caressing the rocks below and kids playing in the water.  The yellow, orange, red, pink, and green colored buildings with their faded and peeling walls and laundry drying on the clotheslines strung up on the balconies, fill my field of vision.  Just forward and to the right of me are three small fishing boats with outboards that will be launched later tonight when their owners fish for anchovies.  The low angle light from the setting sun makes for a truly spectacular display. Read Full Article & Comments…