Italy and Spain Adventure Update

Hailing from Seville, Spain, it seems incredible that we left home just a few days shy of one month ago! It would seem a recap is in order here. Our first few days were spent in Italy with stays in Florence and Venice. Then came the Azamara Cruise during which we stopped in Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Crotone, Taormina and Sorrento, Italy, and finally ending in Rome where we stayed a few days, basking once again in the ancient beauty of the eternal city, before heading out for a spectacular four day visit to Como, Italy. Upon leaving Italy, we enjoyed seven wonderful days in Basque country, San Sebastian/Donostia, Spain (Donostia is Basque for San Sebastian).  Now here we are in Seville, Spain having completed a visit to La Alhambra in Grenada and looking forward to a day in Ronda and Cordoba within the next few days.  Our travel adventure will conclude next week in Madrid.  All in all, we'll have been on the road for almost six weeks!  Sigh....

So, where to begin... perhaps by offering a few highlights from each place we visited after the last posting of our visit to Florence.


We begin in Venice:  Charles and I both agree that our room at Ca' Sagredo which was absolutely gorgeous in addition to having spectacular views of the Grand Canal was a major highlight!

Gazing upon the Grand Canal from our hotel room

Happy Place!

The room was gorgeous!

View from our hotel room in the evening...enchanting!

Guido's tour of the city, specifically the Doge's palace and of St.Marks, also offered new insights into the history of Venice.  The Bridge of Sighs, for example, misrepresented by a pop culture movie of 1979 as a place where lovers meet was in fact anything but.  It was in reality the last sight a prisoner would see when walking through a tunnel to their cell and life imprisonment.  Mark Twain said it best: “Many an innocent man to walk the Bridge of Sighs and descend into the dungeon which none entered and hoped to see the sun again.” Innocents Abroad. Hence, the sigh.

Picture taken through a grated window as we were crossing the Bridge of Sighs...it is actually covered bridge and feels very much like a tunnel when you are walking through it. 

 We'll continue with some highlights of the cruise soon.  Dinner beckons :)