Overview
A Visit to Italy

Oct 14 - Oct 20, 2016

• At the end of our Rhine cruise, Jan and Diane had arranged for a weekend in Amsterdam. Patty and I had toured the Dutch capital on several occasions, so, we chose to spend more time in Italy, a country we have always enjoyed. Our parting reminded us how much of our journey through Europe was over. Ah, well, all good things must come to an end. (Fortunately, that can be applied just as well to bad things.)
  
  Our arrival in Italy late that day was not as planned: heavy rains and winds prevented landing at Florence. Consequently, our plane diverted unexpectedly, and at the last minute, to Bologna Airport. The staff there --- not surprisingly --- was unprepared for our arrival. A bus to take us to the terminal was long in coming, after which another eternity passed before we saw our luggage, then boarded buses in the rain and motored to Florence Airport --- there to be greeted by continuing downpours and taxi lines like you'd expect on a Las Vegas weekend. Though our arrival at our rented abode was much later than expected, thankfully, the owner was still there, waiting patiently, and a delicious dinner was to be found just across the piazza. Somehow, in Italy, things work out ... eventually.
  
  Our reward for struggling southward was a span of five full days to do with as we wished. We spent two of those days in Florence, one in Lucca (by train), one in Arezzo (also by train) and one in Greve in Chianti (by bus). Our only previous Florence experience was several days long in winter nearly 18 years before.