OK, back to Italy - FLORENCE!

Florence or Firenze as the locals call it, is an amazing city. Actually, it's more of a museum than a city. Every building looks several hundred years old, except for maybe the train station and the 'American Cafe' on the hill above the city. We had the opportunity to visit the Uffizi Museum with an enthusiastic guide, avoinding a line of several hundred people. I would recommend both the guide, unless you are an art major, and missing the line, which saves you 1-2 hours of time and headaches.

Another museum, the Accademia, houses the original statue of David - it is very impressive and quite large. Another hint here - visit the museum an hour before closing and there is no line! Another 1-2 hours saved for what is really a small museum (aside from David just a few protraits and a music museum).

We enjoyed an evening of music one night in town at a concert outside the Medici vaults. The evening started with a 'manifestation' as we used to call them in Haiti where a bunch of Eastern Europeans showed up to protest anti-immigration laws and efforts. After they were escorted away the concert began. Close by they were GIVING AWAY pasta and watermellon from some sort of stands. These are local customs I could easily get used to - free food AND music! I love Italy!

Even our hotel was not bad, although it was 5 flights of stairs up to our room.

All things considered, it was a great town.



Elizabeth and the Ponte Vecchio across the Arno River.




The amazing (on the outside) 13th Century Duomo.



Pitti Palace - home of Florence's overlords.

..Meanwhile, something tells me it's all happening at..

THE ZOO. The more sensible members of the family spent the past weekend relaxing, tending to illnesses and visiting the zoo in Dudley. The girls had a fun filled day visiting the lions, and tigers and bears (oh - no don't say it).



Cora on Safari in her jeep.



A rare picture of the elusive Boomonkey.

57 Miles on the Dyke

Owen and I finally got back on our walking groove this past weekend (yes I'm sorry, we need to publish Italy notes but I'm writing the Offa report first). The walk started at Hay on Wye and continued on for 57 miles and three days to a small village outside of Welshpool. During the first day we hiked a total of 30 MILES - a new longest for us and I suspected for the family as a whole! Needless to say we were a bit tired after that one but after a fine full English at the Castle Inn in the morning we were off for the next 18 miles. There were sore, wet feet all around by the end of the day Monday but the sense of accomplishment was even greater!



Celebrating mile 27 in Knighton on Day 1 (not knowing we still had three miles to go!)





Owen counts his steps along the 1400 year old border of Wales and England.

Milan - what to do besides shopping

Milan is not much of a destination city, unless your idea of a vacation is buying an oversized $300 leather handbag or hanging out in Fascist inspired train stations. But Milan is not a bad stop on the way in or out of Italy, if only for a day or so.



Milan is the home to Leonardo's Last Supper, a beautiful and complicated work that can't really be appreciated except in person. Forget Dan Brown, Leonardo had some significant ideas and symbols going in this work, even if he painted it using an atrocious technique which has always endangered its existence.



Milan's other great draws include the massive marble Duomo (cathedral), Gallerie Vittorio Emauele (a massive ornate shopping centre with Prada AND McDonalds), and the Sforza Castle.

As with all of our stops in Italy this summer, we walked the entire city, aside from a single metro ride. Our accomodations at the very Italian sounding Windsor Hotel were four star and breakfast was awesome (even the warm tuna and beans!). The only low point was trying to figure out the Italian train system and our Eurorail passes -this little adventure cost us a couple of hours at the somewhat scary Milan central train station. More to follow...




Sforza Castle