AUGUST 23 - DAY 18

Florence: The Pitti Palace & Boboli Gardens - Day 18

Happy Saturday from Florence!  Today we have a fun day planned.  Going to the Pitti Palace and then to the Boboli Gardens.   The weather is not the best today - drizzling already.  I'm always game to walk in the rain, but the group prefers to take a cab.  We compromised on a cab there and a leisurely walk back.

THE GIRLS ENJOYING A DELICIOUS BREAKFAST BEFORE HEADING TO THE PITTI PALACE

The Palace was so beautiful inside.  Once again, as always, I was taken with the ornate ceilings of each of the rooms.  The exhibit I particularly liked was The Costume Gallery which showcased the many Italian women through history who were responsible for promoting fashion and the cache of Italian-made clothing.  

Picture taking was not allowed, but I managed to get a few on my camera (for which I cannot download to my laptop - grrr because of my broken adapter.

THE PITTI PALACE

Me and Kelsey strolled through the Boboli Gardens, which were quite lovely.  We took some nice pictures as well.  I will add a few  to this page when I'm back in NY in a few days where I can upload the photos. 

VIEW OF PONTE VECCHIO WALKING BACK FROM PITTI PALACE

The sun was out and shining by the time we left the Pitti Palace, so we took a relaxing stroll back to our hotel.  

Tomorrow we leave for Rome via train for our last day and evening in Italy and then Monday we are headed back to NY.  I will be very sad to be leaving the Homeland!!

See you back here tomorrow!!
-E

Stonehenge & London
-Day 18

Howdy Folks!

Let me start out by telling you how lovely the Cotswolds were! 
And our hotel was just perfect! 

The Buckland Manor, was absolutely fabulous - definitely being added to my list of favorites!

I’ve already got a come back plan in mind! But for now all I’ll tell you is that it’s gonna be another awesome trip!! The kids are gonna love it!

Everyday on vacation, I have to ask myself…”what day is it?” “what’s today’s date?” 

Well today is Stonehenge Saturday, and it’s a BIG Bucket-lister for Dave B! 

Gotta tell ya, we are both mighty tired this morning! We are having very L O N G days, and rather short nights (sleep), but this morning was definitely the earliest. 

Doing a special inner circle access at sunrise at Stonehenge! 

Not too many people get the privilege, so although we are extra tired (with bags under our eyes to prove it). We are totally amped and excited about the day!

After Stonehenge, we are heading back to London for the weekend! And we are scheduled for a Parliament House tour this afternoon, as well another one of my highlights - 'Afternoon tea' (that I hope we can stay awake for)!

Sometime in between all of that, I’ll want to check out some of the marketplaces and over load my suitcase some more - if I haven’t already mentioned…I’ve been doing a bit of shopping…and well, I’m not quite sure how I’m gonna get everything back home! I’ve even done some Christmas shopping!!

We’re now all finished with the road-trip portion of our trip. 

As the navigator/co-pilot - I can’t seem to blink or even glance at a book. This driver/pilot over here is rather prone to getting lost! I look up and we end up in a Tesco (supermarket) parking lot! LOL

With there ar no street lights and no street signs, so you can image how much fun it is at night! Pitch black and uber frustrating!

Plus a million U-turns!!

Don’t get me wrong,  I’m very grateful to not be the driver on this trip!

And later tonight, we’ll be returning our rental and will never be using (Europcar) ever again!

*More on this in a future article feature. - Stay Tuned!




Hope you have a terrific weekend planned, even if it’s just relaxing at home. 

Make sure you have a great time, smile, and be grateful for every moment!




Pictures to come, if I can get back online before it gets to late!




Over and out,

-T