Ole Ole

Day 15

We left Rome today for Florence. Rome was definitely my favorite place so far. In Florence we stopped at a beautiful cathedral. It was very odd to see the star of David on a cathedral. It was explained that the letters inside of the star represented Jesus. I believe it was JSS, It represented the Christians and Jewish people coming together.

We then went to the Academy of Fine Arts which was very impressive. We saw the David, another version of the Pieta and many other sculptures. The David was amazing! The size of these sculptures is unbelievable. There was also lots of beautiful art.

We walked to the Piazza Della Signoria which was also very impressive. It was a square full of incredible sculptures including a copy of the David, where the original once stood. The fountain of Neptune was great! The square was basically an open air museum. We unfortunately did not have time for the Uffizi Gallery.

We went to a leather store where I bought a couple of nice belts. We then went to a shop that sold olive oils, balsamic vinegars, and spreads. They had a setup of different pressed olive oils, different ages of balsamic vinegar, olive spreads, and pesto spreads. They had bread to try them all. They even gave people wine and some of us water. :) It was amazing. Anyone that knows me well, knows I love a good, aged balsamic vinegar. I can eat a salad with just the vinegar. I bought some very good 12 year old vinegar and some pesto spread.

We went onto our hotel and went to a nice local restaurant for a very good Italian dinner. I had one of the best plates of spaghetti I have ever had. I am not a big fan of spaghetti, but this was impressive. Many times we had 3 or 4 courses; the pancetta for dessert was incredible!

After dinner we walked around the city for awhile. We saw many sculptures including Hercules fighting a lion.

Day 16

These 6AM days are getting old, fortunately we can nap on the bus. We traveled to Pisa and saw the Leaning Tower. It was very nice, however, we did not have enough time to get a ticket and climb to the top. Oh well, next time.

We drove towards Nice, following the Italian and French Riviera which were beautiful.

We stopped at a Perfume factory before Nice which was interesting. I have a friend who used to work for L’Oreal as a chemist, so the process interested me.

We had a nice Italian dinner in Monaco. I was expecting a nice French dinner. The dinners that were part of the tour rarely followed a theme of the country. The sight from the top of Monte Carlo was very impressive. The Palaces of Monaco were very nice. The casinos of Monte Carlo were not as glitzy or glamorous as I expected. I was the only one wearing a white tuxedo. I’m only kidding, but I was one of the few wearing a jacket. We only had an hour and twenty minutes to gamble. They felt that was enough, are they serious?? :) After losing over €150 in the first fifteen minutes I felt the time limit might not be a bad idea. A Japanese guy on the tour, Hiroshi came up to the table and started watching me and my luck seemed to change. A friend had asked me to play number 17; unfortunately it did not come out at all. 29, 15, 14, and 15 again were my €140 wins. That along with some other smaller €35 and €70 wins I walked away with €450 for a €250 profit or a $320 profit. For every euro we have to pay approximately $1.25. I was very happy and it almost made up for my loss in Atlantic City in May. :)

Day 17

We did not have anything scheduled until noon today and could sleep in. Did I? Of course not, I got up at 7:15 and toured Nice with the Aussies. We drove on one of the city buses, it was a bit cloudy, but was one of the most beautiful cities so far. The French Riviera is so beautiful and serene. We went to the Matisse and Chagall museums. Matisse’s was very good, Chagall’s was great. I really enjoy Chagall a lot. There were many beautiful paintings and sculptures. He also had a beautiful mosaic on an outside wall.

We then joined the group at noon for a beautiful ride along the Cote d’ Azur. We stopped in Cannes which was interesting We then went to St. Paul’s church and village. The views were very beautiful. They had a copy of Rodin’s The Thinker. It made me think of Dobie Gillis. I am not sure where the original Thinker is, possibly the Louvre?

We went to dinner at a very nice French restaurant, Flo. It was excellent! I had escargot and Chateau Briand, One of my snail shells almost slipped out of the holder. I did not want a reenactment of the scene in Pretty Woman when she was eating escargot. The dinner was excellent. I swore before getting to France I would not have crème brulee since it is so readily available in the US and also that we were served it at least twice prior on this trip. I had an excellent chocolate soufflé.

Day 18

It is a very rainy day on our way to Barcelona. We rode and rode all day.

We stopped in Arles where we were there just long enough to see the Roman Amphitheatre and grab a quick bite to eat for lunch.

We had dinner in the hotel which was OK.

Day 19

We started off the day at the Cathedral of St. Eulalia which was very beautiful. No, I still am not tired of visiting churches yet. The architecture and statues were beautiful.

We then went to see the Segradia Familia which was a giant temple that has been under construction since 1882 and will not be finished until sometime later this century depending on funding. It is an amazing building designed by Gaudi.

We stopped where the Olympic Stadium and venues were. The view of Barcelona was beautiful from up top.

The group was then going back to the hotel so my Aussie friend and I left the group and went to the Joan Miro museum which was quite impressive. There were some exhibits which were quite interesting. Most of his works were very good. There was one sculpture which was a fountain of mercury. It flowed with the consistency of water or at least appeared that way.

We then went to the National Museum of Art of Catalonia. It was a very fascinating museum, I really loved it. There was an exhibit of Roman murals that was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It was all from the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. It was murals, panel painting, and wood carvings. Again, it was one of the most fascinating collections I have ever seen.

Also in the museum was a collection of Catalonian Art bequested by Francesco Cambio. It was a Romanesque collection that was superb. It was all so beautifully done. There was another section of baroque art which was beautiful. One sculpture and painting after another, the next more beautiful than the last. It was truly an amazing collection. There was a version of the Pieta that was very interesting. There also was a very interesting painting that depicted Mary as a queen holding Jesus who looked like a prince; it was very interesting, very different, but done very well. I can really go on and on about the paintings and sculptures here.

We then went on to the Picasso museum which chronologically pieced his works together. It also had many interesting bios of his life. It was a huge and fascinating collection.

We then went to see the Christopher Columbus statue which was very impressive. We then walked over the bridge to the harbor which was very nice. We walked up the famous Ramblas St., where we stopped at a nice outdoor café where I had an €11 Coke Light. There is no such thing as a Diet Coke in Europe, except England. It was approximately $13.75, in all fairness it was a rather large mug. :) Coke Light is actually on the bottles and cans.

We got back to our hotel, showered, changed, and were off to dinner. We had a very nice Spanish dinner which consisted of paella, and chicken and rice. It was all very good Spanish cuisine, unlike last night’s salmon and crème brulee. :)

After dinner we saw a Flamenco show which was fantastic! It was the most intense and dramatic singing and dancing I have ever seen.

I am tired, we have been on the go all day!