Finally back at work.........:(
What can I say, first time in Italy, exceeded ALL expectations. The only shock I had all week (apart from the storm on Saturday!) was my BAR BILL at the end of the week. Didn't realise I was such an alcoholic!
Unfortunately they never corked my bottle of wine for the next day when I had one at Dinner, mainly because I finished it before dinner was over! I'm going back to moonshine, cheaper and quicker effect.
The Holiday,
Wonderful throughout. Great location, great Hotel and staff/owners, great weather all but one day, Great Tour Manager and Driver, Jonathan and Mario, need a special mention. How they manage to make you feel like you are the only group when they have different ones every week is an asset JUST YOU should recognise and reward. They both went out of their way many times to ensure we were all looked after, it showed that they both cared about the group and ensuring we had a great time, which we did. THANK YOU TO BOTH.
The staff and owners of the hotel were amazing, really friendly and helpful.
the trips - Pisa was great. loved wandering around on my own and soaking up all the sights you usually only see on TV.
Siena and San Grimangano, lovely places, only spoilt by the weather, which means I will definately be going back at some point! Local guide was great, very informative.
Day off on Sunday was needed to dry out!
Monday, - Elba, lovely Island. Only thing I missed was not being shown where Napolean supossudly stayed, which for me was one of the reasons for going. Maybe this could be looked at for future trips???
Tuesday - Florence, WOW! so much culture and history it kept slapping you around the face! you just did not know where to turn, great guide again. a great taster for a longer break there. Did find the Hard Rock Cafe though! $18.00 bbucks (euros) for a basball cap!
Wednesday - Lucca, lovely walled town, really enjoyed cycling on top of the wall seeing the sights, as well as the church and museum.
Leaving at the airport hassle free, with Jonathan on hand to see us off and wait for the next group!
it seems to have flown by, it all went seamlessly, mostly down to Jonathan and Mario, great fun and great knowledge, I can see why he loves Italy and his job so much.
Things I would do differently - I would next time take a travel kettle and teabags, need that in your room. I would take an MP3 or something to listen to, got fed up with BBC World News looping the same stories! Although I did get into my 3rd Jack Reacher book. I will also take some wet weather gear, just in case! I would also try not to have a cold whilst on holiday, it did knock me out a bit!
The group were all very friendly, hi to the bridge club, linda, lorriane, Denise, etc, a very enjoyable week.
This holiday gives you a taster of places you can go back to and spend more time in, especially Florence. I'm now a big convert to Italy and would like to try Apulia, as reccommended by Jonathan.
CHOW everyone!