Italy to Croatia

Wow, what a whirlwind two weeks it has been. We began with a wonderful two days in Ireland exploring castles, ruins, farmland and coastal cliffs (in addition to a few pubs, some Guinness and hurling). After our quick visit we flew into Venice where we navigated the dead end alleys and canals to arrive at our B&B. Venice is magical, it is so old and charming; we spent hours exploring the streets far away from the tourist hustle and bustle. We also saw the typical tourist attractions such as St. Marks cathedral, the beautiful palace in the square and Rialti bridge. We dined al fresco on the water and took the water bus to all of our destinations. I absolutely loved the winding streets and old world feel of Venice but we had to continue on our way to the Dolomites.

We spent our time in the Dolomites in a small town called Castlerotto (Kaselruth) depending on whether you speak German or Italian. The entire town was full of German speakers as the area we were in had been a part of Austria before WWI. It was unlike the rest of Italy with a culture of its own and houses like swiss chalets nestled into the mountains. We spent our day there hiking in one of the world's largest alpine meadows surrounded by the sharp rocky peaks. At night we sat at a terrace restaurant and dined on wiener schnitzel and strudel. The next day we headed back down south to Cinque Terre and after a few detours through the not so lovely town of La Spezia, we found our way to a beautiful B&B in the hillside overlooking the Mediterranean. We dined at the local establishment for dinner and had amazing gnocchi and pasta. The next day we were surprised by a train strike and unable to get to Cinque Terre so we ventured to the small coastal town of Porto Vierto. I waded in the Mediterranean and we ate gelatto on the sea shore. We returned to our B&B and ate an amazing home cooked meal on the balcony overlooking the mountains and sea (this woman sure could cook, yummm). The train strike ended the next day and we were able to take a half day to visit Cinque Terre before leaving for Tuscany. The five towns were beautiful with bright colors (chosen by the town's director of taste) and nestled into the seaside hills. Our stay was definitely too short but were were on our way to our Tuscan Villa. On the way, we stopped at a tiny town and had a wonderful lunch with fantastic local wine. We continued through the rolling hills to our accommodation on a hill overlooking the countryside. The next day I walked up to the walled city of Volterra on the top of a nearby hill and strolled around the old stone buildings and walls. It was quaint and quiet until you reached the main square where there was an ambulance/motorcycle convention (it was filled with the vehicles and crowds of EMTs and motorcyclists; very strange).
Back in the car, once again, we traveled south to the town of Orvieto in the Umbra region. It was very similar to Tuscany and the town was another walled city on a hill with a magnificent church. We explored the church which was built in the 1200s and featured construction of black and white marble in a stripped pattern; it was stunning. After our touring, we arrived at our B&B on a farm where the owner cooked us a 4 course meal accompanied by their own wine.
We sadly left the farm the next day and headed towards Rome. The city was stunning but it was hot! We sweated our way through tours of the Colosseum, a bus tour through town, the Basilica, St. Peter's Square and the Sistine Chapel. There are so many sights in Rome that I could definitely go back and spend more time there (although perhaps another time of year).
Rome is where Sue and I parted ways; she headed back to home via Ireland and I headed to Croatia. I spent last night outside on a Ferry with 3 other backpackers attempting to get some sleep on the lifejacket crates. We were quite a picture but we got a bit of shut-eye before arriving in Dubrovnik. Upon arrival we were accosted by a dozen residents renting out their rooms and found a great little room in the old city that two of us are sharing. The city is surrounded by a wall which appears as a large castle from the outside. It is a maze of streets and hills and so beautiful that it is hard to imagine that it was the scene of war 15 years ago. We wandered around town this morning, eating figs and pastries from the outdoor market. We also stopped at the War museum which is a multimedia display of pictures and video. There were fantastic before and after pictures which really illustrated how much the region was devastated. It is amazing how quickly Dubrovnik has rebuilt both its walls and tourist industry.
On a lighter note, I am off to have a drink at a cafe built into the wall overlooking the Adriatic. Please send me all of your news and updates, I hope that you are doing well.