Today we took a train to visit the cliff-side villages of Cinque Terre. We visited two of the five villages, Manarola and Vernazza. The quaint villages of this Unesco sight seemed to be untouched by time.

Beautiful day in Italy. We started the day with a walking/panoramic tour of Genoa. Then, we had an amazing lunch including a lesson on making cheese forcaccia. From there we took a ferry to Portofino "one of the most glamorous spots in the Italian Riviera".

Today was an extra excursion day. Five of us went to St. Paul de Vence. This was a beautiful medieval village with the best views yet. Then we went on to Grasse for a lesson in perfume making. We got to make our own scent with a lilac base. A wonderful day.

Happy Bastille Day from France! Today was spent making our way to Nice. We stopped along the way in Aix-en-Provence. It was very interesting being there on a holiday Sunday because many places were closed and it felt much more private. It was eight years ago today that Nice faced a terrorist attack during Bastille... Continue Reading →

Marseille is the second largest city in France. We started the day with a walking tour of the old town. Then our tour group split up for a couple of options. I chose to go to Cosquer Cave, a replica of a prehistoric cave. I was very excited to discover that the cave is the... Continue Reading →

The hotel wifi wasn't cooperating last night, so I missed posting. As predicted, I love the countryside of Spain more than Barcelona. On Wednesday we made our way to Costa Brava, stopping along the way in Girona, a smaller city. The view from my hotel room is a living postcard. It's ocean view and there's... Continue Reading →

Technically, this is my day two in Barcelona. But, the "touristy" part of the trip started today. Prepared to roast in the Mediterranean, I was pleasantly surprised. It was warm (low 80s), but there was a nice breeze. We started with a guided walking tour of the city. Even though I know this it's still... Continue Reading →