The struggle is real! and other stuff.

I played with the color a little here- it was soccer season in Italy, they were playing in a big European series....  hence the flags

So unmotivated today.  I have things that need to be done- today.  TOP of the list**- a frig full of peaches that need to be cooked or frozen.  So that needs to happen.  Next on the list are 2 SD cards that have possible treasures on them that need to be chosen, looked at, imported, edited, exported, some deleted and in all ways dealt with.  This is holding up progress, people!  I want to write about the trip before I lose it all, and time is awasting!  I already sat in my spot last night and was just SEARCHING through my memory about this first set of photos.  It was so long ago!  It almost seemed like a dream!!

NOTE!  Click on the photos for a better view- it is worth it.

Bridge over the Adige River

And since those pictures were taken in Verona- (I decided to edit by location for now- too many photos would be overwhelming- so I have to do it in chunks) I have had the song "My Sharona" going through my brain, but of course the oddity that is me sings it to myself- My Verona.....  oh boy. The random neuron firings are at it hot and heavy.

I have been walking around SO HUNGRY most of the time now- because I just can't be bothered to cook anything.  I really did enjoy NOT cooking and cleaning up after myself for 2 weeks.  That was pretty damn awesome.  But I am feeling really light-headed so perhaps I should get off this computer and my random babbling and eat something....  maybe.  Meh

Ok, so breakfast is being consumed- including some yogurt with the afore mentioned peaches, which are quite spectacular and perfectly ripe, along with a little bagel and olive oil and a tiny bit of cheese. Let me wax poetic about this olive oil---  it is sublime.  Another "how can I ever subsist on the correlating American product now" moment.  NOT to mention the balsamic vinegars that I also picked up... The oil is SO flavorful, and it makes my tongue so happy.  I'm trying to be frugal with it, but I think I need to figure out where to  buy something similar.  Because it is NOT anywhere near Park Falls, WI!

Part of the Little Colleseum- and one of the ubiquitous pigeons

One thing I way prefer here to Italy is my bed!  Lol- oh how I missed you, you marvelous, roomy sleep number bed set on 40 with several pillows and room to roll over.

Anyway, let me talk briefly about Vernona---mymymymymymy my MY VERONA!  hehehe  THAT was a good way to introduce us to our new country.  We had landed in the Milano airport, and after that whole luggage fiasco we were glad to meet our amazing Tour Leader,  Daniela.  We hopped on our home-away-from-hotel: the tour bus, with our amazing Brunelo, the driver.  Fine driving that man did!  Anyway, an hour or so away from Milan, is Verona- we had a great time seeing the Alps in the distance and saw some grape vines and the cypresses and a varied and interesting landscape on the first leg of the journey.  I loved watching out the window- I never napped on the bus, too busy looking for interesting things.

Juliet's balcony

We were in Vernona for a few hours- drove into the area, got off the bus and proceeded to trudge through this small city to find the balcony of Juliet!  Along the way there were so many balconies full of flowers, made of different sorts of wrought iron and stone.  I noticed the colors of the houses and buildings and really saw and understood how old everything is.  It was the first time that  we were surrounded by almost no English at all, and the signs were all strange then- though later in the trip, they all made much more sense.  We went to a mini-Colleseum area, found a park and shopping, tasted gelato for the first time and tried out our debit cards at the ATM machine.   We were getting our proverbial feet wet and our first free time in a city.  Very nice. We also found our first bathroom that you had to pay to use...

Gorgeous day in Italy!

After we finished up there, we drove onto the Hotel la Rondine outside of Venice for our first 2 nights.  So quaint, such nice people and turned out some of the best hotel food we had.  They set the bar high, so a few places to come were, frankly, a disappointment.

Anyway, I need to get myself going here and deal with those peaches, so I will plug in a few photos and get off the computer.  I am sure I will find stories about Verona that I forgot to mention, (like the fact that there are so many people who smoke over there!!  It was surprising)  but I might start an ongoing post for random thoughts that I have.... and there are a lot of those.

So until next time, I hope you are finding your joy today!



** wait- I thought lists and I were broken up....  Maybe I should just DO these things instead of listing them ;)